The Rhodes Scholarship announcements were released this week, and for the second time in Carolina history, three Tar Heels have been named Rhodes scholars in the same year. Congratulations to Tiana Dinham, Rotimi Kukoyi and Gabrielle Moreau!
Established in 1902, the Rhodes scholarship funds study at the University of Oxford in England. It is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious international scholarship programs. With 57 recipients in its history, UNC–Chapel Hill is now the No. 1 public university for Rhodes scholars.
As outlined by the UNC Office of Distinguished Scholarships:
Tiana Dinham is from Jamaica, and won the Rhodes scholarship for the Jamaica constituency. A Robertson scholar and an Honors Carolina student, Dinham studies geological sciences at the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, with a minor in geography. Dinham focuses her work on the fate and transport of contaminants in groundwater and sediment systems and explores ways to harness the Earth’s resources while also preserving the environment.
Rotimi Kukoyi is from Hoover, Alabama, and won a Rhodes scholarship for the U.S. constituency. Kukoyi is a Morehead-Cain scholar and Honors Carolina student majoring in health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health with minors in chemistry and biology. He is senior class president, a Truman scholar and a “Jeopardy!” champion.
Gabrielle Moreau is from Toronto and won a Rhodes scholarship for the Canada constituency. Moreau is a Robertson scholar and Honors Carolina student majoring in geography at the UNC College of Arts and Sciences with a second major in environmental science from Duke University. She is a citizen of both Canada and the Métis Nation of Ontario.
We encourage you to read the full releases about Dinham and Kukoyi and Moreau. They have already achieved incredible things, and we are excited for the bright futures ahead of them as Rhodes scholars.
This is also cause for celebrating the many people and programs at Carolina that helped these scholars rise to their full potential. Kudos to the Morehead-Cain scholarship program, the Robertson scholars program, and to the faculty and staff who were so dedicated to giving these bright minds the top-notch education they deserved.
Finally, while we want to celebrate these students and those who supported them along the way, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge what so many on UNC’s campus and all across the state and country are feeling right now. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have spread across North Carolina in recent days. We know it cause for fear and anxiety for many – especially those in the immigrant community.
At this time, especially, we want to commend these young scholars and praise the great work they have done. These three students left their home states and countries in search of a quality education. They found a home at Carolina, and they have made us proud. Carolina has welcomed and grown many of the top minds from around our state, country and world. We value that diversity, and our University is better for it. At the Coalition for Carolina, we are committed to protecting that legacy so that we have many more successes to celebrate in the years to come.
Congratulations again, Tiana, Rotimi and Gabrielle. We are proud you are Tar Heels!