P. Sarojini
NEW YORK, USA (CWBN)_ American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust Elliot Gerson announced the 32 American winners of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship for 2020. Four Indian-Americans were also honored with the esteemed scholarship this year, which was conducted virtually for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rhodes Scholars who won scholarship to the England’s Oxford University includes both immigrants and students of color. The four Indian-Americans who won the honored scholarship are Swathi R Srinivasan, Vijayasundaram Ramasamy, Garima P Desai and Savarni Sanka.
Gerson expressed confidence on this year’s young American winners and said that they will go to Oxford University next year October to expertise themselves in the areas of social, biological and physical sciences, the humanities, and public policy.
According to the press release from Rhodes Trust, Swathi Srinivasan was one of the Indian-American chosen for the Rhodes Scholarship. She is from Ohio and has double concentrations in Social Studies and History of Science, with a focus on public health inequality at Harvard College. Swathi is also engaged in writing a thesis for the chemistry department. Apart from this, other specific qualifications of Swathi includes her internship at the UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS in Geneva; she has done research programs and activism on the opioid epidemic; she led the Policy Program at the Kennedy School Institute of Politics; and she is also a Ghungroo choreographer. Further, as a Rhodes Scholar, Swathi intends to study M.Sc. in International Health and Tropical Medicine and the M.Sc. in Comparative Social Policy at Oxford University.
Vijayasundaram Ramasamy from Kansas was another candidate to be chosen as the Rhodes Scholar. He initially studied a major in Public Health Studies and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2018. After graduation, he worked as a Special Assistant in the Baltimore City Health Department for one year and currently works as a Policy and Budget Advisor in the Office of Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, where he holds the responsibilities for the State’s COVID-19 re-opening plan. His other qualifications include his co-presidentship of the University Hindu Students Council; he engaged as an active volunteer in social services and healthcare in underserved neighborhoods; he has served as an active political campaigner; and he worked as a research and teaching assistant in public health. Vijayasundaram Ramasamy as a Rhodes Scholar wishes to study M.Sc. in Comparative Social Policy and the Master of Public Policy at Oxford University.
Garima Desai was the third Indian-American in the list of Rhodes Scholars. She is from California and studied a double major in Environmental Studies and Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she graduated in May 2020. As a Rhodes Scholar, Garima Desai is planning to study M.Sc. in Economics for Development and an M.Sc. in Environmental Change and Management. Other qualifications of Garima Desai includes her current designation of transportation planner in Oakland, California; she was a research assistant on issues related to housing and transportation at UC-Santa Cruz; and she is interested in using economics as a tool to solve pressing climate issues.
Savarni Sanka from North Carolina is the fourth Indian-American Rhodes Scholar in the list. She studied majors in Politics and International Affairs and in Spanish, with a minor in Middle East and South Asia Studies at Wake Forest University. Her qualifications include her volunteer work in Spain, Morocco, and Nicaragua; she focuses on improving the lives and welfare of migrants and marginalized people all over; she holds an ideal academic record and is well-known for her leadership qualities; and she has been a leader in student associations, Hindu Students Association and the Student Association for the Advancement of Refugees. With her Rhodes Scholarship, Savarni Sanka aspires to study M.Sc. in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies and the Master of Public Policy.
Rhodes Scholarships Trust was created in 1902 by the Will of Cecil Rhodes, which selects qualified young outstanding candidates around the world and send them to Oxford University in England and also cover their full expense of the course for two to three years.
According to Gerson, the main attributes of a Rhodes Scholar are great promise of leadership, best decision-making skills and commitment to service. These scholars are expected to contribute their best to the global public welfare.
Edited by Elishya Perera
