Two Harvard Seniors Win International Rhodes Scholarships

Two more Harvard seniors will continue their studies abroad at Oxford as international Rhodes Scholars, bringing the total number of Harvard-affiliated winners to seven.

The Zimbabwe Rhodes Selection Committee and the Caribbean Commonwealth Rhodes Selection Committee named current seniors Terrens Muradzikwa ’18 and Mandela Patrick ’18 winners of the scholarships in their respective regions.

More than 350 Harvard alumni have received the honor since the Rhodes Scholarship, which pays for graduate study at Oxford, was established in 1902.

Patrick applied to the Rhodes Scholarship through the Caribbean Commonwealth Rhodes scholarship. A Computer Science concentrator in Currier House hailing from San Fernando, Trinidad, Patrick said he felt “a mix of relief and excitement” upon hearing the news. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in Statistical Science and a master’s degree in Computer Science, both with focuses on machine learning.

Patrick said that he has been considering applying for the Rhodes for a long time.

“It was something I was considering but I wasn't sure whether I wanted to go straight into graduate school right after undergrad. But I felt like this was probably my best chance to get extremely technical,” he said.

Patrick plays on the men’s varsity squash team and is involved in the Digital Literacy Project, the Caribbean Club, and SummerCamp.io, an organization that facilitates networking among summer technology interns.

Muradzikwa, an Economics concentrator in Dunster House from Mutare, applied for the scholarship through his home country of Zimbabwe. Chosen from a pool of 10 finalists in Zimbabwe, Muradzikwa was the sole Zimbabwean to receive the Rhodes this year.

“It’s truly a blessing, a feat I would have never achieved on my own. Very overwhelmed by winning the Rhodes Scholarship and very grateful to professors who recommended me, House tutors who gave me mock interviews and advice, and friends and family who prayed for and encouraged me,” Muradzikwa said.

At Oxford, Muradzikwa plans to pursue a one-year Master of Science in economics for development and a one-year Master of Public Policy, focusing on “how innovative technologies can be used to spur economic growth in developing countries in both private and public sectors,” he said.

In addition to being involved in the Harvard Africa Business and Investment Club, Muradzikwa also works on two digital start-ups: the African Exponent, a multimedia news platform that aims to open discussion on developments in Africa, and the Shasha Network, a digital education company.

Patrick and Muradzikwa will join Tania N. Fabo ’18, H. Xavier Gonzalez ’18, Samarth Gupta ’18, and Alan Z. Yang ’18, the Harvard seniors who were announced as the winners of the American Rhodes Scholarship earlier this month. A recent graduate, Jamie J. Beaton ’16, was also named a New Zealand Rhodes Scholar.

—Staff writer Luke W. Xu can be reached at luke.xu@thecrimson.com.