Contact: Mary Pollitz
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Two Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College seniors are Mississippi State’s newest Rhodes Scholarship finalists.
Sydney Denton, a history and political science double major from West Monroe, Louisiana, will interview in Denver, Colorado, and Devin Hutchins, a philosophy and economics double major from Hernando, will interview in Birmingham, Alabama. Both students will participate in Rhodes activities on Nov. 14 and interview on Nov. 15.
Denton and Hutchins are MSU’s eighth and ninth Rhodes Scholarship finalists in 13 years. Selection criteria for a Rhodes Scholar include demonstrated scholarly achievement, character, commitment to others and the common good, as well as leadership potential.
The two join the ranks of graduates Olivia Radicioni, Reese Dunne, Natalie Jones, Holly Travis, Semaj Martin-Redd and Christopher Robinson who also attained the prestigious honor as Rhodes finalists. Donald “Field” Brown, a Vicksburg native who majored in English and philosophy, was named a Rhodes Scholar in 2013.
The Rhodes Trust, a British charity established in the will of businessman and mining magnate Cecil J. Rhodes, promotes international understanding and provides full financial support for students pursuing graduate degrees at the University of Oxford, the first institution of its kind in the English-speaking world and one of the world’s leading institutions of higher learning.
Hutchins is a 2024 Harry S. Truman Scholarship finalist and highly decorated International Public Debate Association debater. During his academic career, he has served with the Mississippi State Speech and Debate Team, MSU Philosophy Club and MSU Ethics Bowl Team.
Denton is a Charles and Pat Lee Presidential Endowed Scholar and has served with the MSU Student Association since her freshman year. During her time at MSU, she has worked with New Maroon Camp and founded the MSU Amnesty International chapter.
David Hoffman, director of MSU’s Office of Prestigious External Scholarships, mentors students like Denton and Hutchins applying for national, merit-based scholarships and fellowships.
“We are incredibly proud and excited to have Sydney and Devin represent Mississippi State at the interview table as Rhodes Scholarship finalists. They both excel in the classroom, work with MSU faculty on original research projects, and are deeply involved in leadership with campus organizations,” Hoffman said. “Perhaps the most impressive element for the Rhodes Trust is their commitment to service and creating impactful change through their current and future work with off-campus organizations. Whether it is Sydney’s efforts to dismantle inequities in access to education across the South or Devin’s quest for meaningful criminal justice reform here in Mississippi, both of their profiles resonate with the types of change-makers the Rhodes Trust seeks.”
For more information about the Rhodes Scholarship, visit www.rhodesscholar.org.
Learn more about MSU’s Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College at www.honors.msstate.edu. The Department of Political Science and Public Administration within MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences is online at www.pspa.msstate.edu.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.
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