Two Stanford students received the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship this year, an international award that funds up to three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. The Rhodes Trust announced the 32 recipients of this honor on Saturday, including Margaret Hayden ‘13 and Rachel Kolb ‘12 M.A. ‘13.
Hayden, a human biology major, plans on studying medical anthropology when she gets to Oxford next October. At Stanford, she competed on the varsity squash and sailing teams, published two papers and wrote her honors thesis about the “ethical implications of biological conceptions of mental illness and personhood.”
Kolb, a former Daily columnist who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in English, will study contemporary literature upon arriving at Oxford. As an undergraduate at Stanford, she majored in English and minored in human biology. She serves as a managing editor of The Leland Quarterly, a literary magazine, and president of the Stanford Equestrian Team. Kolb has a profound hearing loss, and her interview for the scholarship included the use of sign interpreter, according to a press release from the Rhodes Trust.
The Trust selects 32 American students for the award annually, and around 80 students in total worldwide. 1,700 students in the U.S. started the application process this year, according to the press release, and 838 ended up being endorsed by their universities to advance to the interview round with their districts’ selection committees.
Notably missing from the list is Miles Unterreiner ’12 M.A. ‘12, whose conflict between competing in the NCAA Cross Country Championship in Louisville, Ky., and attending his Rhodes Scholarship interview in Seattle, Wash., made national news. While Unterreiner made it successfully to both events with the help of a private plane, he was injured at the cross country championship and was not named as one of his district’s Rhode Scholars.
“I wanted to say thanks to everybody who’s helped me get this far for being such supportive, great friends – and especially to my XC teammates for four years of running I’ll never forget,” Unterreiner, who is The Daily’s managing editor of opinions, posted on his Facebook page on Saturday.
Last year, five Rhodes Scholars came from Stanford, the highest number of recipients from any university that year. This year, however, that number was surpassed by both Yale and Harvard, which claimed seven and six Rhodes Scholars, respectively.
An earlier version of this article stated that Kolb will study comparative literature at Oxford. She is actually planning to study contemporary literature. The Daily regrets the error.