Victoria Kipngetich, a Kenyan studying at Yale University, was on Monday named among 62 students awarded the prestigious 2024 Rhodes Scholarship.
Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and most prestigious scholarship on earth, boasting a 0.7 per cent acceptance rate.
Kipngetich, who majors in global affairs, was nominated alongside three of her colleagues in the Ivy League university.
She will join an exclusive and elite list of scholars who have won the scholarship, including; Former US President Bill Clinton, Former President of Pakistan Wasim Sajjad, former Jamaica Prime Minister Norman Manley and Prime Ministers of Australia Tony Abbot, Bob Hawke and Malcolm Turnbull.
Kipngetich was awarded the scholarship due to her impressive academic acumen as well as her passion for agency in Africa’s diplomatic relations and the democratisation of foreign policy in the Kenyan context.
“Relating to these interests, she has interned at the Kenya Mission to the United Nations, where she negotiated resolutions in the UN General Assembly and served as a speechwriter for the Kenyan ambassador to the UN,” Yale University wrote moments after she won the scholarship.
The scholar was also lauded for aiding U.S. policymakers in understanding political developments in East and Central Africa.
Additionally, she has conducted research on the diplomatic strategies employed by Kenyan policymakers in response to emerging great power competition dynamics on the African continent.
The Rhodes Scholarship covers all expenses for two to three years of study at the University of Oxford.
At the University of Oxford, Kipngetich intends to study for a Master of Science in global governance and diplomacy.
Applicants interested in applying for the scholarship must demonstrate literary and scholastic attainments.
Apart from academic excellence, applicants must also exhibit a commitment to social impact.
EPRA Announces Fuel Prices for June-July News Just In
