American Rhodes Scholars-elect for 2004
(Subject to ratification by the Rhodes Trustees
after acceptance by one of the colleges of Oxford University)
DISTRICT I
Dov Fox, West Hartford, is a senior at Harvard where he majors in
government. An intern at the President’s
Council on Bioethics, he is author of the book The Harvard Mystique, and
edited a book on the American legal system for foreign law students. Dov has worked in a refugee youth enrichment
program and performs stand-up comedy. At
Oxford, he plans to do an M.Phil. in political
theory.
Alexander Pollen, Falmouth,
is a senior at Harvard where he
majors in neurobiology. An award winner
in both the International Science and Engineering Fair and the Intel Science
Talent Search, he has been a leader in a project addressed to the special
health problems of low-income families.
Alex is also a mountain climber and scuba diver. He intends to do the M.Sc. in biodiversity,
conservation and management at Oxford.
Daniel I. Helmer, Colts
Neck, graduated from the United States
Military Academy
with majors in Military History and Arabic.
Dan won awards at West Point for excellence in
research and writing, as well as in history, and was a varsity gymnast. President of the West Point Hillel Society,
he wrote his thesis on Hezbollah and terrorism.
He also served as a volunteer in a clinic for the homeless in the Camden
area. He expects to be posted to Iraq
within 30 days. Dan will do the M.Phil.
in international relations at Oxford.
Olivia Rissland, Belmont,
Massachusetts, is a Brown
University senior with majors in
biology, mathematics and Latin. Editor
of the Brown classics journal, she has gained distinction in the classics and
in mathematics and science. A radio disc
jockey, coxswain in a boat club, and a black belt in karate, she plans a career
in medicine. Olivia will do a doctorate
in biology at Oxford.
DISTRICT II
Julia A. James, Brooklyn,
is a senior at Hobart and William
Smith Colleges
majoring in chemistry and biochemistry.
A Goldwater Scholar with many prizes and presentations at national
symposia in chemistry, Julia has served as a science and math tutor and is a
choreographer. She also served as
president of her junior class. She plans
to do a doctorate in HIV immunology at Oxford.
Pooja Kumar, Doylestown, is
in her second year at Harvard Medical
School. She graduated from Duke in 2000 with
distinction in her own concentration of health policy and social values. Pooja was recognized a top student in the
country both by USA Today and Glamour Magazine.
She has worked with refugees in central Africa
and Azerbaijan,
with children afflicted with AIDS in India,
and children in crisis in East Timor and with the
terminally ill in Calcutta. At Oxford,
she will do the M.Phil. in international relations.
Heather E. Long,
Mechanicsburg, will graduate from Wellesley in 2004 with majors in economics and
English. She is studying this year at the
University of Navarra in Spain.
Heather won Wellesley’s highest award for academic and extracurricular excellence, and prizes
for poetry, Spanish and writing. She was
a founding volunteer of programs for Massachusetts inmates, and is a varsity fencer, having
competed in sabre in the 2002 Junior Olympics.
She will read the B.A. in modern history and English at Oxford.
Emily P. Ludwig, Baker, is
a senior at Williams
College majoring in history. In addition to her work in history, she has
won distinction in genetics and immunology and was a research assistant at the
Whitehead Institute. A varsity soccer
player, she also played soccer at Exeter College, Oxford, where she spent her junior year. She will do the M.Phil. in social and economic
history.
DISTRICT III
David G. Robinson, Potomac,
is a senior at Princeton where he majors in
philosophy. Opinion editor at The
Daily Princetonian, David has also served as in intern with Time
Magazine and wrote a report on the cancer clusters for a peer-reviewed
online health journal. David is also
academics chair of a group that hosts faculty-student roundtable discussions,
and is an academic advisor to freshman.
David plans to read for the B.A. in philosophy, politics and economics
at Oxford.
Cristina
Bejan, Durham, is a senior at Northwestern University with majors in philosophy and theater.
A playwright and actress, she is a passionate advocate for ethnic and
religious tolerance in her native Romania. Cristina
has written five plays, two of which were produced in Oxford and one of which was the most successful new
writer’s ever play produced in the Burton Taylor Theatre. At Oxford, she will do the B.Phil. in philosophy.
Rachael Wagner, Virginia Beach, is a Harvard senior majoring in economics
and social anthropology. Winner of
awards in several fields, she is a NCAA Division I academic All-American and
varsity skier. Rachael is also executive
editor of the Harvard International Review and Vice President for Strategy of the Harvard
international relations council. She
also is the leading co-author of a 25-year strategic plan for the future of Virginia. At Oxford, she will do the M.Phil. in development
studies.
Christopher W. Wells, McLean,
is a Yale senior where he majors in history.
Christopher has pursued grand strategy theories at Yale and at the Army
War College,
has worked at the Department of Defense, and studied Arabic at the American
University in Cairo. He is also a varsity soccer player. Chris will do the M.Phil. in modern middle
eastern studies at Oxford.
DISTRICT IV
Delavane Diaz, Tampa, is a senior astronautical engineering major
at the United States Air Force Academy with a minor in Spanish. She is wing commander, with responsibility
for 4,000 cadets, the second women ever to hold this top position at the
Academy. Delavane has also been named
the most valuable player for two years on the Academy’s varsity volleyball
team. She plans to do the M.Sc. in
mathematical modelling and scientific computing at Oxford.
Tennessee
Kenneth Michael
Lamb, Chapel Hill, is a senior at Rhodes College where he majors in political science with a minor in American
studies. Active in many community
activities, including Habitat for Humanity, he has served as a political intern
and is a student member of the Rhodes College board of trustees. Michael
plans to read for the B.A. in philosophy and theology at Oxford.
Robin M. Rotman, Lake Bluff, Illinois, is a senior at the University of the South where she majors in geology
with minors in environmental studies and mathematics. The winner of research internships at both
the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency, Robin
is also treasurer of the Sewanee student body.
At Oxford, she plans to do the M.Sc. in geology.
DISTRICT V
Wen Shi, West Bloomfield, is a senior at Johns Hopkins University where he majors in biology. A Goldwater Scholar, he won first place in
the National Science Olympiad and has co-authored four papers. A Howard Hughes fellow, he co-founded a program
to teach sex education and violence prevention to incarcerated youth. Wen came to the United States when he was 16 and learned English as a
second language. He will do a doctorate
in medical oncology at Oxford.
Jeffrey Ishizuka, Worthington, is a senior at Williams College majoring in chemistry. A varsity wrestler, he has done volunteer
work for children with HIV/AIDS in Honduras.
Jeffrey spent his junior year at Oxford, and wants to pursue research leading to a
vaccine for HIV/AIDS. He intends to do a
doctorate in medical sciences at Oxford.
Amber M. Raub, Columbiana,
is in her final year at the United States
Military Academy
where she majors in mechanical engineering.
She is second in her class academically and is president of the society
of women engineers. Amber is a soccer
player and mentors middle school students in physics. She hopes to work as an engineer for the United
States space program. At Oxford,
she will pursue the M.Sc. in engineering sciences.
Wisconsin
Paul A. Taylor, Elm Grove,
is a senior at Boston College
double majoring in physics and classics.
A Goldwater Scholar, he has won awards for excellence in science as well
as in Latin. Captain of the fencing
team, Paul has been New England foil champion and has
competed nationally. He also holds a
patent, was volunteer of the year in a soup kitchen, and is a tutor in physics
and calculus. He will pursue a doctorate
in astrophysics at Oxford. He, and Brett T. Huneycutt also elected
today, are the first Rhodes Scholars to have been elected from Boston
College.
DISTRICT VI
Allison Gilmore, Eagan, is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis where she will receive both her B.A. and
M.A. in mathematics. A Byrd Scholar and
a Compton Scholar, she has particular interest in algebraic topology. Allison is also president of Washington University students for a sensible drug policy and is a
leader of her campus Stop-the-War coalition.
She plans to do the M.Phil. in sociology at Oxford.
Decker Walker, Lafayette, Indiana, is a senior at St. Olaf College where he majors in mathematics and economics. A Goldwater Scholar, the work he did in Zambia on African development is to be
published. Decker plays varsity football
and indoor and outdoor track and field.
He spent his junior year at Oxford where he won blues in both track and field
and basketball. He proposes to a
doctorate in economics at Oxford.
Bethany L. Ehlmann, Edwardsville, Illinois, is a senior at Washington University with majors in earth and planetary sciences
and environmental studies. A Goldwater
Scholar, Udall Scholar, and Compton Scholar, she is also a leader in student
government. She has served as a
collaborating scientist on the NASA Mars exploration mission and is president
of the Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Team that qualified for the national
championships. At Oxford, she will do the M.Sc. in environmental on
geomorphology.
Jennifer M. Harris, Lawton, is a senior at Wake Forest University where she majors in economics and political
science. A Truman Scholar, she has done
extensive refugee and international relief work in the Balkans, Mexico and Afghanistan.
Jennifer is also active in community and campus volunteer activities and
co-edits the university’s arts and sciences journal. She helped draft civil rights asylum
legislation which was passed into law by the Latvian parliament. She plans to do the M.Phil. in international
relations at Oxford.
DISTRICT VII
Brett T. Huneycutt, Scottsdale, graduated from Boston College with a major in economics. First in his class, he is now a Fulbright
Scholar in El Salvador where he is doing econometric research on
the role of migrant remittances from the United States on the Salvadoran economy. At Oxford, Brett will do the M.Phil. in
economics. He and Paul Taylor also
elected today, are the first Rhodes Scholars to have been elected from Boston College.
New Mexico
Elizabeth Kistin, Corrales,
is a senior at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill where she majors in political science and
Latin American studies. Elizabeth has lived and worked in poor rural
communities in Ecuador, Costa Rica and Oaxaca, where she has studied how development
strategies can become more effective.
She has also been devoted to community development in this country. Elizabeth will do the M.Phil. in development studies
at Oxford.
Oluwbusayo (Topé) Folarin, Grand Prairie, is a senior at Morehouse College majoring in political science. He also spent a year at Bates College in Maine and a semester studying human rights in South Africa. Topé
co-founded a program examining racism on three different campuses, and started
a project providing medical supplies to rural Nigeria. He
is a debater who has received numerous prizes for his scholarship and
service. He plans to do the M.Phil. in
development studies at Oxford.
Utah
Lara B. Anderson, North Logan, was a double major in physics and
mathematics at Utah State where she graduated first in her class and
remained this year for a master’s degree.
She is a violinist and a black belt in Aikido, and was the first student
selected to speak at commencement at Utah State in over 50 years. Lara will do a doctorate in mathematical
physics at Oxford.
DISTRICT VIII
Theresa A. Bridgeman, Santa Cruz, graduated from Stanford with majors in
human biology and international health and development. A Truman Scholar, she is currently working at
the World Bank. Tess has done extensive
community work and research addressing birth defects in Mexico. She
founded a non-profit organization, was president of Stanford Students for
Choice, and enjoys capoeira, a Brazilian martial arts/dance form. She will pursue development studies at Oxford.
Jared A. Cohen, Weston, Connecticut, is a Stanford senior majoring in history and
political science. A passionate student
of African policy, he has worked and traveled in 21 African countries, is
fluent in Swahili, and has written a book on United States policy toward Rwanda. Jared also founded a Stanford journal on
human rights. He plans to pursue a
doctorate in African studies at Oxford.
Richard A. Malins, Pearl City, is a senior at Boston University where he majors in chemistry and
psychology. A Beckman Scholar, he has
presented his research on Alzheimer’s disease at a National Academy of Sciences
conference. A violist in the Boston University orchestra, he has directed, designed,
managed or acted in 25 productions while in college. Richard is also a tutor and coach to
disadvantaged children. He proposes to
do a doctorate in human anatomy and genetics at Oxford.
Allyssa M. Lamb, Redmond, is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in classics and
biblical and ancient near eastern studies.
The winner of numerous awards in classics and humanities, she has
studied in Athens and Rome and has worked as a
research assistant at an excavation in Israel. Allyssa also writes short stories and poems,
speaks Latin, Greek and Hebrew, and interprets hieroglyphics. She plans to do the M.Phil. in Egyptology at Oxford.