Fourth-year College student Laura Nelson stands among the ranks of astronomer Edwin Hubble, former president Bill Clinton and Politics Prof. Larry Sabato.
The Lawn resident and Jefferson Scholar is one of 32 people, handpicked from a pool of more than 1,200 applicants, to receive the Rhodes Scholarship.
The award pays an estimated $50,000 per year to students for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. The 32 U.S. citizens selected are among 80 Rhode Scholars chosen worldwide to participate in one of the world's most prestigious post-graduate programs.
Nelson, in an interview with The Cavalier Daily, said the news came as a "total surprise."
"It still hadn't really sunk in until I came home and I had [the acceptance] letter and a packet about the graduate programs," she said.
Nelson said she will spend her time at Oxford studying literature.
"It will be a good chance to read some of the best books ever written with some of the top scholars in the world," she said.
While she is still not sure of her plans after Oxford, Nelson expressed her desire to stay within the realm of academia.
"I definitely don't want to stray too far from being around classrooms and learning," she said.
Nelson began the application process by notifying the University that she wished to put in a bid. The University supplied her with an endorsement. In addition to writing a 1,000-word personal statement, the Political and Social Thought major obtained 20 letters of recommendation from various professors and figures of her academic career, which she described as "a great time to reconnect and reflect on my time at U.Va."
Nelson has pursued a wide array of interests during her career at the University, including varsity athletics. During her first year, Nelson was a walk-on for the women's field hockey team, after playing for only two years in high school.
"It was really rewarding being a part of the athletics world because a lot of other students don't get to experience it," she said. "But I realized that I wanted to throw my energy into other areas of the University and experience some of the other incredible opportunities that are here."
Nelson spent her time as an undergraduate student focusing on what she calls "fringe" activities, including the Engage UVA newsletter, a weekly publication that informs University students of extra-academic activities on Grounds, such as lecture series and events. Taking engagement one step further, Nelson helped launch Flash Seminars, a program which gathers professors and students together in "high-energy classrooms" which serve to create venues for academic enrichment outside the formal classroom, she said. Nelson also created the Public Service Committee, now a full committee on Student Council. Currently, Nelson is working with the University and Community Action for Racial Equity project, which aims to understand and remedy the University's legacy of slavery.
"I am inspired by the faculty, staff and community members and students who have spent years thinking about and addressing these questions, so I see my own role as very small in a big project," she said.
While Nelson believes it is important for students to delve into organized extracurricular activities on Grounds, "it's also important to slow down and appreciate the exciting and rich things that are happening here every day."
-compiled by Bethel Habte
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