Of the 32 college students selected as Rhodes Scholars over the weekend, two are native Georgians. It’s the first time that has happened since 2008.
Leah Michalove, 22, a senior Middle Eastern and South Asian studies student at Emory University, and Machmud Makhmudov, 21, a senior politics student at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, were among more than 2,000 who sought nomination for the prestigious, all-expense paid spots at Oxford University, where they will begin studies in October 2016.
Michalove, a Sandy Springs native, is a 2012 graduate on of Riverwood High School. Makhmudov, of Lilburn, is a 2012 graduate of Parkview High School.
“When my name was called, I thought it was a typo,” Michalove said Monday morning by phone from her campus job.
According to a press release from the Rhodes Trust, 869 students were endorsed for the honor from 316 colleges and universities. Finalists were chosen by selection committees from 16 U.S. districts for in-person interviews, which took place Saturday at the Alston & Bird law firm in downtown Atlanta.
Those selected were informed Saturday night.
Michalove said she was applying for another program when her advisers put the possibility of being a Rhodes Scholar into her mind.
“No one wins the Rhodes scholarship. That’s not a thing,” she said. “But (advisers) told me to apply, so I applied. It was never part of the plan. You don’t plan to win a Rhodes scholarship.”
She’d even given up the idea of winning. After not being notified of her finalist status in October, when she’d expected to hear something, she sat down one day recently and emailed thank-you notes to those who recommended her.
Less than two hours later, she said she received notification that she was a finalist.
“I had to send emails to these people again, saying ‘j/k, guys!’ ” she said. “I’m very excited.”
She received a call from her eighth-grade English teacher over the weekend congratulating her on the honor. She’s also received notes through social media from people she never met.
She plans to study for a master’s in social anthropology while abroad, and eventually earn her doctorate in anthropology.
“A funny comment I keep getting is no one’s surprised,” about the scholarship, she said. “Which is odd because I’m terribly surprised.”
The past week has been a bit of a whirlwind for Makhmudov, who interviewed for another program in New York, then headed to the Atlanta area Wednesday. He stayed through the Rhodes Scholars announcement, then took a plane back to Ohio Sunday. He’ll be back in town today to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family.
“I’m working on a paper right now,” he said by phone Monday. “Thankfully, I got an extension. It was supposed to be due today, but I’ve been kind of busy.”
At Oberlin, Makhmudov spent time in student government and as a member of the baseball team. He plans a career in politics, but wanted to devote more time to studying before diving in head first. He said he was inspired to study at the prestigious university because several people he points to for inspiration — including U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey — spent time studying at Oxford.
Already, he’s cut his teeth working for Sen. John Lewis and in Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed’s office.
Makhmudov already is the recipient of a Harry S. Truman Scholarship, for college juniors who show interest in government or private-sector work, and it includes a job for a year after graduation working in federal government or a nonprofit. He’ll still work next summer in Washington D.C. before heading across the pond.
About the Author
