Triple win for Rhodes Scholarships

For the fourth time, the University of Melbourne has produced one Victorian and two Australian national Rhodes Scholars, all of whom will head to Oxford University this year to undertake postgraduate studies in each on their specialities – neuroscience, economic development and public policy.

Bachelor of Science graduate Alexander Eastwood, 24, was selected in October as the recipient of the Victorian Rhodes Scholarship, while in December Commerce and Arts graduates Andrew Wheeler and Hamish McKenzie, also 24, were chosen as national Rhodes Scholars. 

In Australia, there are nine scholarships given annually, one for each of the six states and three national scholarships. On three previous occasions, the University of Melbourne has produced one Victorian and two Australian national Rhodes scholars. The recipients of those scholarships were Catherine Bird, Mark Moshinsky and John Tasioulas in 1989, Charles Day, Karen Yeung and Carl McCamish in 1993 and Simon Chesterman, Joanna Masel and Ben Rimmer in 1997.

Rhodes Scholarships are awarded annually by competitive application to high-achieving students between the ages of 18 and 25 who show intellectual ability and demonstrate leadership qualities through community activity or sporting achievement. The Rhodes scholarship is the oldest and most prestigious international graduate scholarship program in the world. This year’s recipients will join 83 high achieving scholars from around the world, including from the United States, southern Africa, Germany and Pakistan.

Andrew Wheeler, who is currently a management consultant with global strategy firm LEK Consulting, is hoping to study a Master of Science in Economics for Development and a Master of Public Policy at Oxford.

Mr Wheeler’s interest is in economic development, with a particular focus on child health and education in the Asia-Pacific region. Having majored in economics and finance, he is also fascinated by the power of economics to guide political decision-making and help alleviate poverty in the developing world. 

“My experiences volunteering with the New Hope for Cambodian Children Orphanage and Kikkalora-Saccos, a micro-finance organisation in Tanzania, showed me that a country’s people are its most effective agents to lead change and improve the quality of life,” he says.

“Good governance can unlock a country’s hidden potential, and requires multidisciplinary input from economists, teachers, doctors and many other practitioners and policy-makers.”

Mr Wheeler’s passion for community involvement has seen him lead a research team with ChildFund in Papua New Guinea to investigate child malnutrition, and become a co-founder of the Australian Indigenous Education Support, a charity that donates used computer equipment to remote schools in the Northern Territory.

“I look forward to the challenge of living up to the scholarship’s long history of outstanding community leadership, and I am excited to join with others in helping to eradicate extreme poverty,” Mr Wheeler says.

Hamish McKenzie has recently covered the UN climate talks in Lima, Peru for global newswire, TheVerb, and spent three years training young people in advocacy and social activism as a volunteer for World Vision Australia. He has also established a social enterprise importing ethically made designer goods from Cape Town to support revegetation in parts of southern Africa.

Mr McKenzie says he is hoping to further his interest in social activism and advocacy by studying a Master of Public Policy at Oxford.

“I aim to influence social change by understanding what the world looks like to policy-makers who currently make important decisions that impact our lives,” he says.

Mr McKenzie says it’s not only social activists who can respond to the world’s challenges, but people in all sectors of society – business, government and the public sector – need to believe in social progress.

“Ultimately I wish to make an impact in Australia, but I’m hoping to work overseas to gain insight in how other countries are responding to climate challenges like green urban living, renewable energy, and using resources profits to invest in major national infrastructure.”

Mr McKenzie hopes to apply the learning from those countries’ policies for the benefit of Australian decision-makers.

“I am hopeful our future generations can make sensible policy decisions that are less politicised, and made in the interests of the public,” he says. 

The Victorian Rhodes Scholar, Andrew Eastwood, will be pursuing his passion for the study of the mind and is hoping to study for Oxford’s Doctoral program in Neuroscience. His scholarship selection was featured in November’s edition of Voice.

Congratulating the three Rhodes Scholars, Honorary Secretary of the Victorian Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee and Dean of the University’s Melbourne Law School Professor Carolyn Evans (who did not have a vote in the selection) says they are outstanding young Australians who are sure to make their mark on the nation and the world.

“All three scholars have shown a commitment to study and a passion for change. It is really encouraging to see young graduates from the University of Melbourne with balanced and mature attitudes to work, scholarship and the community. I wish them all well in their future endeavours and studies at Oxford.”

For more on the Rhodes Trust, Scholarships and notable scholars, visit: 

http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/