Two current NCAA student-athletes are among 32 American students selected as Rhodes Scholars, receiving what is widely considered the most elite award and scholarship for international study.
Rhodes Scholars receive a fully funded opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in England for at least two years, and each scholarship is valued at $68,000 per year.
The student-athletes receiving the award are:
- Caylin Moore, a senior at Texas Christian University. An economics major, Moore attended Marist College before transferring to Texas Christian, where he plays safety for the Horned Frogs football team. He is the founder and president of Strong Players Are Reaching Kids, or SPARK, a youth outreach organization of student-athletes who encourage disadvantaged youth to attend college. He will pursue a master’s degree in public policy at Oxford.
- Kirk Smith, a senior at The University of Tulsa. The captain of the cross country team, Smith is majoring in mechanical engineering and has participated in research in clean energy at Tulsa, at the Colorado School of Mines, and in Germany. He also volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma and plans to pursue a doctorate in engineering science at Oxford.
Rhodes Scholars are selected based on criteria established by the will of 19th century businessman Cecil Rhodes: outstanding scholarly achievements, character, commitment to others and to the common good, and potential for leadership in their chosen career field.
Each year, a total of 80 Rhodes Scholars receive the award, including 32 from the United States. These 32 students will begin their studies at Oxford in October 2017 and were selected Saturday from a pool of 882 candidates who had been nominated by their colleges and universities.
For more information about the 2017 Rhodes Scholars, click here.