How Rhodes Scholars Think (HRST) is a project that takes a different approach to understanding the lives of Rhodes Scholars. Instead of focusing on academic and career achievements, the project concentrates on the scholars’ attitudes, behavior and experiences from childhood to their young adult years that eventually culminated in winning a Rhodes Scholarship. By that time, they had already developed and demonstrated a direction in life that combined their strengths and interests with a concern for others. Through compelling anecdotes, HRST hopes to provide lessons (in parenting and character development) about forming a life worth living beyond the self and dedicated to making a meaningful contribution to the world.
While the project moves forward, this site is host to some conversations with Rhodes Scholars about their lives.
Feel free to leave a comment or send an email to rhodes [at] mailcan [dot] com.
Tricia Foo-Ying
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About the Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is widely considered one of the world’s most prestigious fellowships. It is a postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford in England. Applicants must be at least 18 but not yet 24 years old.
In the American Rhodes Trust brochure, the scholarship is “to aid in the promotion of international understanding and peace” and should be seen as “a long-term investment in youth” who “offer the promise of effective service to the world in the decades ahead.”
Only students from the following countries are accepted: Australia, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean Commonwealth, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and its neighbors (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland), the United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
When Cecil J. Rhodes, a British-born South African financier and politician who founded the diamond company DeBeers, died in 1902, his will established a trust to facilitate the scholarships. His will listed four standards by which potential scholars should be judged:
- Literary and scholastic attainments
- Energy to use one’s talents to the full; as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports
- Truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness, and fellowship
- Moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings
In the 105 years of the fellowship’s history, there have been over 7,000 scholars with over 4,400 still living.
4 comments
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June 20, 2007 at 10:46 am
Ann Boyum
Wow – I just LOVE these stories and insights! They inspire me to bring out MORE of me…and stand out in the crowd! I admire the humility and the passion that comes from each individual as well as the unique journey through life, learning, and seeking.
Thanks Tricia – for bringing these stories into our lives!
Ann
March 14, 2008 at 10:30 pm
daria
Thank you, Tricia, for investing your time and energy in this project. I hope you have the opportunity to meet as many of the 4,000 as possible. It’s a real pleasure to step into some else’s life, so thank you for this privelege.
The profiles in this group of talented achievers reminds me of the MacArthur fellows. In fact, one of my favroite books is Denise Shekerjian’s “Uncommon Genius” which traces the creative paths of 40 MacArthur Award winners. Like Rhodes scholars, they too are bright, curious, and outstanding, each in their own way.
June 16, 2008 at 10:17 am
Robert Reese
Tricia:
I met one of the Rhodes Scholars, Tope Folarin, while at Morehouse College and I wanted to find out how I could re-connect with him. Is his contact information available, or can you pass my contact infor on to him?
March 25, 2009 at 1:24 am
Reader
Thank you for endeavoring to profile the Rhodes scholars! Your interview questions are excellent, and their insight is extremely enlightening. Keep up the great work!