Rhodes scholarships for two UAE students
THEY WILL JOIN UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD IN OCTOBER 2023
The selection committee for the Rhodes scholarship in the UAE has awarded scholarships to two UAE-based students to study at University of Oxford in the UK.
Sara Fekri and Guste Gurcinaite were chosen for their “exceptional intellect, character, leadership and commitment to service”. They will begin their academic year at University of Oxford in October 2023.
Sara and Guste applied for the scholarship along with more than 60 students earlier this year. In 2021, Emirati student Rashid Al Rafie and NYUAD student Uljad Berdica were selected as UAE Rhodes Scholars. Since 2014, 18 UAE-based students have got the scholarship.
High-profile committee
The UAE Rhodes scholarship selection committee, comprised of UAE leaders and former Rhodes Scholars, is chaired by Omar Saif Ghobash, Assistant Minister for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with Deputy Chair Shamma Bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth, and Dr Robert Buckley, National Secretary for the UAE Rhodes Scholarship, in addition to four other members.
Rigorous process
The selection follows a “highly competitive and rigorous” application process involving personal statements, academic transcripts, and interviews. The committee, chaired by Ghobash, interviewed nine finalists in Abu Dhabi. This is the first time the committee has met
with the finalists in-person since Covid-19 when the selection process was held online.
Proud moment
Ghobash said: “When I was eight, my mother told me that my father wanted me to attend one of the world’s top educational institutions. I went to Oxford and met Rhodes Scholars. I remember wishing that I could apply as an Emirati. I am so proud that the UAE has made this opportunity available.”
Established in 1903, the Rhodes Scholarship is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious higher education awards.
Angela Migally, Executive Director of the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, said: “Rhodes scholarships have been awarded in the UAE since 2014 under the patronage of the Foundation and in cooperation with the Rhodes Trust.”