From road baller to Rhodes Scholar
A hyperactive, overenthusiastic, basketball-watching, hip-hop-loving science fanatic
I left that room extremely optimistic; the world is in great hands if these are its future leaders
This past summer I was busking with a friend in downtown Hamilton and he asked if I was planning to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship.
“No chance,” I said. With only 11 recipients in Canada, I’d have better odds applying to the Olympic luge team. He eventually convinced me I should at least give it a shot.
Four months later, I received a phone call telling me I was a Rhodes Scholar.
That was on Nov. 19, and I am still flabbergasted. This scholarship is for future heads of state, Supreme Court justices and innovative game-changers. And yet somehow the committee deemed me — a hyperactive, overenthusiastic, basketball-watching, hip-hop-loving science fanatic who is as inspired by Andy Samberg as by Albert Einstein — a worthy recipient.
At Oxford, I plan to do a PhD in mathematical physics. There is an eerie oneness between math and physics: you can uncover the structure of black holes using only abstract mathematical reasoning, and glean new insights into prime numbers by smashing protons together at lightningspeed.
This symbiosis is apparent in string theory, which posits that all matter consists of infinitesimal vibrating strings whose mathematical properties give rise to observable properties like mass or charge. It’s heady stuff.
Though I love learning math and physics, my real passion is teaching. I’m hoping to use my degree as a gateway into science communication, whether through books, YouTube videos, Snapchat stories or pithy skywriting.
We live in a complex world, so science literacy is unspeakably important. Anyone looking to open a business, invest in the stock market or cast a ballot ought to have a basic understanding of science and an ability to reason logically and statistically. And even though most people don’t need to know anything about atmospheric physics, everyone should know why they should trust climate scientists when they say that climate change is real.
The scholarship interview process was a two-day affair. The first step was a twohour schmoozing session for the selection committee and the 13 candidates.
Entering the room, I rapidly got the sense that many of the other candidates had done this type of thing before. These were people who, unlike me, did not need to borrow their roommate’s belt, tie, and shoes, because their wardrobes had presumably been updated since their bar mitzvahs.
On top of being well-dressed, these were some of the most fascinating people I’d ever met. One studied under the legendary philosopher Peter Singer, one was named one of Canada’s Top 20 Under 20 and another 3-D printed prosthetic devices. I left that room extremely optimistic; the world is in great hands if these are its future leaders.
The second day was the formal sit-down interview. I wasn’t particularly nervous because the selection committee was made up of incredibly down-to-earth people. I felt comfortable making jokes, some perhaps inadvisable (They asked for my birth certificate. I said “Do you need the longform?”). The questions were rapid-fire: I’m a human rights lawyer; why should I care about physics? Why don’t you study journalism? How do you feel about the over-mathematization of the social sciences? Fortunately, these are questions I think about on a regular basis anyway, so I didn’t have too much trouble answering.
As I left the room, I could hear the chair of the selection committee say “Well, that was refreshing!” and knew I’d done something right. I think that, after a full day of interviewing heavily polished candidates, they were relieved to spend a half-hour having a fun conversation with me about big ideas. I received the fateful call around 6:45 that night, blurted “Are you serious?” and then immediately called my parents to tell them something like “Ummmm …. Yup. I can’t even. Yup.”
I’ve learned a lot from this process. The most important lesson is this: apply for stuff. Especially stuff you don’t think you’re going to get, because there’s no telling how luck will twist in your favour. Last summer, I applied to a dozen math research jobs and received none of them. This year, I applied to the Rhodes and now I’m somehow going to Oxford. The world moves in strange ways, but only if you apply for stuff.
I have much to be thankful for. I am lucky to have family and friends who don’t mind receiving “SCIENCE IS REAL!” texts or hearing about string theory over dinner. I’m especially grateful for my mom, without whom none of this would be possible. And I am fortunate to be in the interdisciplinary arts and science program, which has exposed me to a plethora of interesting people and ideas.
I am ridiculously honoured and excited to be representing Canada and McMaster as a Rhodes scholar and can’t wait for everything the future has in store.