Who were the 2022 Rhodes Scholarship finalists?

Published in The Aquinian

(*Photo organized by Incé Husain. Photos provided by Ethan Draper (top left), Francesca Sivilotti (top right), Aline Maybank (bottom left), and Incé Husain (bottom right))

On November 9th, I drove to Halifax to undergo the final selection stages of the Rhodes Scholarship.

Established by politician Cecil Rhodes in 1902, the Rhodes Scholarship offers fully-funded postgraduate study at Oxford University in England.

It is considered one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world.

On Friday, November 11th, the evening featured an introductory banquet in a four-star hotel flanked by the sparkling Halifax Harbour. The selection committee conversed freely with the candidates, easing us into the following day of interviews.

On Saturday, November 12th, we were each interviewed for fifty minutes.

By evening, the verdict had passed.

It was surreal.

The selection process for the Rhodes scholarship is rigorous. The application requires an extensive CV, a detailed academic statement, seven letters of endorsement, and a personal essay addressing “moral force of character”, “instincts to lead”, “protection of the weak”, and “energy to use one’s talents to the full”. It seeks an answer to “humanity’s greatest need”.

The winners receive press and recognition.

The rest?

***

Francesca Sivilotti, a Rhodes finalist from Dalhousie University, believes that humanity’s greatest need is to get better at disagreeing.

“I see how divided and polarized we are on so many controversial issues. We are totally unwilling to engage with people with whom we disagree. That’s really dangerous,” says Sivilotti. “If we cannot coherently talk about our disagreements we’re never going to resolve anything.”

Sivilotti is pursuing law, driven to improve a criminal justice system that is “not perfect”. She is completing a major in law, justice, and society, with minors in psychology and economics. At Oxford, she sought two law-related masters programs.

Now, she is planning to begin law school next year. She says her Rhodes experience has solidified her ambitions.

“If I’m not frequently encountering some form of rejection then I’m not aiming high enough,” says Sivilotti. “This experience was really affirming because (I saw) not getting this opportunity as an indicator that I set my sights high enough.”

During the interview, Sivilotti was calm and focused. She was surprised to be asked a series of questions about policy-making.

“I was expecting more philosophical questions - about the kind of person I am, how I think about ethical problems, the kind of impact that I want to have,” said Sivilotti.

Sivilotti speaks warmly of the banquet. She appreciated meeting the committee, and was struck by how intelligent and kind the candidates were. It removed the sense of competition and replaced it with genuine fondness.

“I was struck. Not surprised, but struck,” said Sivilotti. “I walked away with a sense of “now that I know these people I can be happy for them when they get it”.”

***

Ethan Draper is a Rhodes finalist from St. Francis Xavier University. He believes empathy is humanity’s greatest need.

“(Empathy) is the realization that there are a lot of problems that can be solved when we work together and actually recognize that just because (a problem) doesn’t affect you doesn’t mean that it’s not valuable to solve,” says Draper.

Draper is studying applied forensic psychology. He aspires to understand the neurobiology of housing instability and wield such research to inform policy development. At Oxford, he sought a doctor of philosophy in psychiatry research. He viewed Rhodes as an opportunity to network with people from different backgrounds to discuss policy development that is both research-informed and practical.

“Research doesn’t exist in a silo,” says Draper. “I was really interested in a type of opportunity that was going to bring together a lot of people with different backgrounds. It’s great if I do research about traumatic brain injury and recognizing the types of accommodations that are necessary for housing support, but then we actually have to implement them - things like policy development, the financial aspect, actually integrating this into existing (social) models.”

For his interview, Draper looked forward to being stretched into broadening his perspectives. He enjoyed some challenging questions, but was surprised that his lived experiences were not probed at all.

“I’m trans, and I talked about my gender transition (in my personal statement) and how that informed my work and my passion for (solutions for) housing instability,” said Draper. “I do feel like not having as much of an opportunity to further elaborate on that (in the interview) was missing a key portion of my identity.”

Now, Draper is considering pursuing a masters in neuroscience at McGill University.

“I don’t feel regret about my application,” Draper summarizes. “I do feel that it was a good, reflective process for me.”

***

Aline Maybank is a Rhodes finalist from Dalhousie University. She found it easy to discern humanity’s greatest need.

“It’s pretty easy - climate change action! Or else we’re not going to survive.”

Maybank is studying environmental health. She shares that her upbringing in British Columbia familiarized her with forest fires and the respiratory issues that ensued, fuelling her interest in environmental medicine and Canadian healthcare.

At Oxford, Maybank sought a masters of business administration and a masters in environmental change and management.

She had known about Rhodes her whole life but hadn’t considered applying until some of her mentors encouraged it.

“I didn’t really consider myself being an applicant for the award until about last year when I had a couple mentors in my life say “you should really apply”,” says Maybank. “I think anybody should really give it a shot because you never know if you’re the one holding yourself back or if you really do have a really great chance at it.”

For Maybank, a Rhodes scholar is someone who is well-rounded and empowers others. She thinks the ideological criteria can encompass a wide range of fields, and that this broadness allows the yearly selection committees to shape what the Rhodes criteria means.

Maybank’s application rang with climate change and healthcare activism. She expected her interview to include questions on these topics.

“All my questions were law or policy-related,” says Maybank. “I don’t think I got a chance to show who I really am.”

***

My experience with Rhodes echoes that of the finalists I spoke with. The application process was challenging and self-reflective. The banquet was memorable. I had different expectations for the interview.

I came to my conception of humanity’s greatest need by first defining humanity’s greatest vice. I wrote that humanity’s vice was instilling so many social barriers between people with different norms that one’s norms are viewed as absolute realities instead of a mere perspective, triggering social oppression. I said humanity’s greatest need was the self-awareness to legitimize norms that differ from one’s own.

I was surprised that the dialogue during my interview was predominantly geared towards local norms and issues. I was surprised that the ideas I shared about global perspectives did not gain much traction.

I am honoured to have had the opportunity to speak with some of the finalists to write this piece. My conversations with them were cerebral and energizing. I left feeling incredibly hopeful for the future and full of adrenaline. I am keen to see how our futures unfold. ♦

A modified version of this article appeared in The Aquinian on December 3rd, 2022:

https://theaquinian.net/commentary-the-rhodes-finalists-who-didnt-get-picked/