Three University of Chicago students have been awarded Rhodes Scholarships this year.
They are among the 32 American men and women chosen for the prestigious academic scholarship for study in the United Kingdom. A total of 48 UChicago students have received Rhodes Scholarships since 1904; the number includes 19 recipients in the last 12 years.
This year's Rhodes Scholars are: Anna Alekseyeva, a history and public policy major in the class of 2011, who is an activist and scholar on issues of refugees and forced migrants; Prerna Nadathur, class of 2010, a mathematician and linguist who is fascinated by the connection between language and our thought processes; and John Scotti, a biological chemistry student from the class of 2011 who hopes to cure disease through chemical synthesis.
The three scholars also have a diversity of backgrounds and personal interests. Alekseyeva, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, who moved to America as a child, has interned at the Brookings Institution and Human Rights Watch and is a Student Marshall. Nadathur writes poetry and fiction, played violin in the University chamber orchestra, has pursued classical Indian dance, is an accomplished pianist, and founded a chapter of Students for a Democratic Society. Scotti, from San Diego, plays jazz piano, is passionate about Latin and Roman history, and loves to surf.
—Prof. Kunle Odunsi
