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HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES Two Seniors Win Rhodes Scholarships By Alvin Powell
Two Harvard women interested in economics will be heading to Oxford University next year as winners of prestigious Rhodes Scholarships. Ilyana Kuziemko, a senior living in Currier House, and Kristin Javaras, a senior at Kirkland House, were among 32 U.S. winners of the scholarship, which is the world’s oldest international fellowship. The scholarships were set up in the will of British philanthropist and colonial leader Cecil J. Rhodes in 1902. The Rhodes Scholarships provide tuition and expenses for two years of study at Oxford, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. Selections are made on the basis of academic achievement, leadership, and involvement in extracurricular and athletic activities. Harvard is one of 26 colleges and universities whose students won the scholarships this year. The 32 winners were selected from 935 applicants from 323 colleges and universities. This is the first year that all of Harvard’s Rhodes Scholarship winners are women, according to Director of Fellowships Paul Bohlmann. "Both of our winners are wonderful people and I think they’ll get a lot out of this experience," said Bohlmann, who is also associate director of the Office of Career Services. Economic Questions Kuziemko, an economics concentrator from Sterling Heights, Mich., is interested in urban economics and in how economic factors affect education and crime. Kuziemko plans to seek an M.Phil. in mathematics for industry during her two years at Oxford. The program, she said, is similar to an applied math program. She hopes to return to Harvard after her studies in England and pursue a doctorate in economics, with a goal of teaching at the university level. "I like the questions economists ask, I like the way they approach a problem," she said. Kuziemko hopes to gain more than just mathematical knowledge while at Oxford. "I hope to face graduate school [after Oxford] with a little bit better sense of myself and the world," Kuziemko said. In addition to her interest in economics, Kuziemko was also chair of the Harvard Political Union, though she said her interest in politics is merely as a spectator. Kuziemko is also interested in athletics, playing on the junior varsity softball team and twice running the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank International Marathon. Good with Figures Kristin Javaras, a statistics concentrator from Chicago, is not just good with numbers, she’s good with figures. Javaras is an experienced figure skater who has put her skating experience to use in the community, working as a volunteer with the Phillips Brooks House (PBH) Learn to Skate Program. She also helped administer the CityStep program, which introduces Cambridge children to the performing arts. Javaras plans to pursue an M.Phil. in economics at Oxford, indulging her love of numbers and building on her experience as an investment banking intern for Lehman Brothers in New York and London. After Oxford, Javaras plans to get a doctorate, probably in statistics, in hopes of teaching at the university level. Outside of her studies, Javaras said she is looking forward to making new friends, learning a bit of British history, and, as a future teacher, experiencing a different educational system. "Winning the scholarship is, of course, a great honor and a wonderful opportunity. I’m very excited about Oxford," Javaras said. "In addition, winning has given me an excuse to spend the past few days speaking with family, friends, and even acquaintances from years past."
Copyright 1999 President and Fellows of Harvard College |
