Student achievers in contention for Rhodes Scholarship

Rhodes Scholars study for two or three years at the University of Oxford in Great Britain, with all educational expenses covered by the trustees who oversee the program. Thirty-two students are selected each year from American universities following a lengthy process that starts with a school nomination.

Elon is looking for its first student to ever be recognized as a Rhodes Scholar. According to the Rhodes Scholarship web site, four criteria exist for student selection:

* “Literary and scholastic attainments;
* “Energy to use one’s talents to the full, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports;
* “Truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship;
* “Moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings.”

Elon University’s current nominees include:

Molly Dickinson: An Honors Fellow with a major in English, Dickinson is working under the guidance of her faculty mentor to write an original collection of poetry for an Honors thesis. She has studied abroad in London, worked as a tutor through the America Reads program and has participated in several community service projects. She was recognized last spring with the English Scholar award, granted annually to an outstanding student in the major. If awarded the Rhodes Scholarship, Dickinson, of Berlin, Md., would study 19th- and 20th-century literature.

Katelyn Ealer: An exemplary scholar-athlete, Ealer, from Bear, Del., holds the Elon school record in the 10,000-meter run. ESPN’s The Magazine named her an Academic All-District III Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country Second Team in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. During the summer months, when not competing at Elon, Ealer participates in triathlons in her home state. Ealer also dedicates herself to a passion for jazz music and continues to develop her improvisation skills on the trombone. Ealer studies psychology at Elon and would enter the cognitive studies program at Oxford should she be awarded the Rhodes Scholarship.

Alana Morro: An Elon College Fellow with majors in history and art history, Morro, a walk-on to the cross country team her sophomore year, combined her interest in postcolonial theory with examinations of how 20th century politics have impacted Vietnamese contemporary art. She is the recipient of the history department’s Funderburk Scholarship and the art department’s Helen B. Rippy Art Scholarship. Her research led her to become the first Elon student to study abroad in Vietnam. If awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, Morro, of Watertown, Conn., would pursue a masters of studies in history with a specialization in the Commonwealth and South Asia.

Recipients of the scholarship will be announced in late November.