On Sunday, the Rhodes Trust honored 32 American winners of the prestigious Rhodes scholarship for 2026. Among the distinguished scholars, five hail from U.S. military academies, while three each are students from Yale University, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This year's recipients are passionate about various societal issues including housing, health outcomes, sustainability, and prison reentry. Notable scholars include:
- Alice L. Hall from Philadelphia, a varsity basketball player at MIT and student body president, known for her collaboration with a women’s collective in Ghana on sustainability tools, plans to focus on engineering.
- Sydney E. Barta from Arlington, Virginia, a Paralympian and member of the Stanford University track team, who also sings in the acapella group 'Counterpoint.' Barta, pursuing bioengineering, aims to delve into musculoskeletal sciences.
- Anirvin Puttur, a senior at the U.S. Air Force Academy from Gilbert, Arizona, is an instructor pilot and flight commander studying aeronautical engineering and applied mathematics, with additional proficiency in linguistics.
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after British imperialist Cecil John Rhodes, was launched at the University of Oxford in 1903 and has since awarded over 100 scholarships annually to promising students worldwide for two to three years of graduate study.
- Alice L. Hall from Philadelphia, a varsity basketball player at MIT and student body president, known for her collaboration with a women’s collective in Ghana on sustainability tools, plans to focus on engineering.
- Sydney E. Barta from Arlington, Virginia, a Paralympian and member of the Stanford University track team, who also sings in the acapella group 'Counterpoint.' Barta, pursuing bioengineering, aims to delve into musculoskeletal sciences.
- Anirvin Puttur, a senior at the U.S. Air Force Academy from Gilbert, Arizona, is an instructor pilot and flight commander studying aeronautical engineering and applied mathematics, with additional proficiency in linguistics.
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after British imperialist Cecil John Rhodes, was launched at the University of Oxford in 1903 and has since awarded over 100 scholarships annually to promising students worldwide for two to three years of graduate study.
