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Four Bahamians Advanced to the Rhodes Scholarship Finals

Updated: Oct 19, 2023

The Rhodes Scholarship Foundation was established in 1903. Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship awards in the world. At present, the Foundation awards over 100 Scholarships per year. The Scholarship covers all fees and a stipend for two to three years, with over 300 Scholars in Residence in Oxford at one time.

Although students get their tuition, fees, flights, living expenses and healthcare paid for, and although a strong history of academic achievement is important, Rhodes Scholars are also chosen based on their character, leadership skills and how they plan to work for the common good.


Rhodes Scholars are the most brilliant minds on the planet. Yet former President Clinton is the only Rhodes Scholar ever to have been elected president of the United States of America. I will leave the implications of that fact to each citizen of our global society.


The Bahamas is a very small Island Nation. Per capita, regarded as insignificant in many areas. However, wise men say, "It's not where one starts in life that's significant, but rather, where one finishes." I predict that in the not too distant future, The Bahamas, with visionary, servant leadership, focused on strengthening the early childhood aspect of its educational system with its best, most well rounded educators, and with purposeful guidance/mentoring of citizens, for seamless succession and national development, will advance to, in addition to being an athletic powerhouse, becoming a global leader in Agriculture, Ocean Science, Coastal Studies, Financial Services, and Hospitality among other areas.

December 02, 2001, 4 Bahamian scholars of 12 applicants, interviewed as finalists for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University, representing a third of the exceptional individuals to reach the final level of the selection process. While not selected for the scholarship (one spot is available for the Caribbean region beyond Jamaica), these students stand out among thousands of applicants, representing a highly intellectual, motivated and ambitious group of young people from The Bahamas, providing great exposure for the country.


This exceptionally proud Bahamian, among the 407,905 other very proud Bahamians would like to contribute to the demonstration of National Pride by showcasing the 4 brilliant minds, beginning with Zoe Brown.


Zoe was born in Freeport, Grand Bahama. She graduated from Acadia University in Nova Scotia with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with Honors. During her time at Acadia, she served as a writing tutor, lab technician, executive member of Acadia’s Biology Society, dedicated many volunteer hours to the local farmers market, and wrote a paper focused on marine plastic pollution, which was reviewed by a peer-review scientific journal. She also studied abroad in Norway, where she successfully completed graduate-level courses.

Brown is passionate about conservation and resilience in low-lying tropical regions and hopes to combine social science and conservation to understand the threats facing small island developing states, like The Bahamas, and develop nature-based solutions to these issues. She is pursuing an ecological restoration project and a study aiming to understand Bahamian perceptions of climate change, which she is undertaking with the Cape Eleuthera Institute at The Island School. This work builds on her previous knowledge of Bahamian natural history that she gained in 2018 as an intern at the Leon Levy Preserve in Eleuthera.


Congratulations Zoe. The citizens of your home country, The Bahamas, are very proud of you. Keep up the good work. We need your brilliant mind.



To find out more about Rhodes Scholarships, click here.

The Bahamas map image can be found at Travel and Leisure's website.

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