Women Outnumber Men in Rhodes Scholarships

Each year 32 Americans are named Rhodes Scholars. The scholarships provide funds for graduate study at Oxford University in Britain.

This year, for only the fourth time since 1976 when women were first included, there are more women than men chosen for Rhodes Scholarships. There are 17 women Rhodes Scholars this year and 15 men.

(L to R) Alexis K. Brown, Elizabeth W. Butterworth, Helen E. Jack, Stephanie Lin, Katherine Niehaus, Miriam Rosenbaum, Brett A. Rosenberg, Tenzin Seldon, Sarah N. Smierciak, and Astrid E.M.L. Stuth

Here are the 17 women winners:

Aysha N. Bagchi from Austin, Texas, graduated from Stanford University in June with degrees in philosophy and history. She is now studying at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Alexis K. Brown is a senior majoring in English and history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Stephanie J. Bryson is a summa cum laude graduate and was valedictorian of the Class of 2011 at the California State University, Long Beach.

Elizabeth W. Butterworth from Auburn, Massachusetts, is a senior at Princeton University majoring in the classics.

Nina R.W. Cohen from Newton, Massachusetts, is a senior at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania who is majoring in philosophy and French.

Brianna R. Doherty from Carmichael, California, is a senior at Brown University where she will receive a bachelor’s degree in cognitive neuroscience.

Helen E. Jack is a senior at Yale University who is majoring in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, and in international studies.

Emma F. LeBlanc, graduated from Brown University this past June with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She is pursuing a master of fine arts degree in fiction at Southern New Hampshire University.

Stephanie Lin is a senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she majors in biology and minors in applied international studies.

Kelsey R. Murrell of Kearney, Missouri, is a senior English major at the University of Kansas.

Katherine Niehaus received a bachelor’s degree in biomechanical engineering at Stanford in 2010 and a master’s degree in 2011, concentrating in biomedical devices. She was captain of the cross country and track teams.

Miriam Rosenbaum is a senior at Princeton University where she is completing a degree in public affairs, with minors in African American studies, Judaic studies, and Near Eastern studies language and culture.

Brett A. Rosenberg of Chappaqua, New York, is a senior at Harvard University who is majoring in history. She is a columnist for the Harvard Crimson.

Carrie H. Ryan is a senior at The University of the South majoring in cultural anthropology. She is the president of the student body.

Tenzin Seldon is a senior at Stanford University majoring in comparative studies in race and ethnicity. She holds an associate’s degree from Berkeley City College.

Sarah N. Smierciak graduated from Northwestern University in June with majors in history and in Middle East language and civilization. She has also studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo and at Damascus University.

Astrid E.M.L. Stuth, from Hubertus, Wisconsin, is a senior at Princeton University majoring in East Asian studies.