Four Indian American students picked as Rhodes scholars

WASHINGTON: Four Indian-American students were among 32 outstanding young men and women chosen for the prestigious 2015 Rhodes Scholarship to study in the UK.

Anisha Gururaj, Sai P Gourisankar, Maya Krishnan and Abishek Kulshreshtha have been chosen for the oldest and best known award for international study, Rhodes Scholarships.

The scholarship provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England.

"The names of the thirty-two American men and women chosen as Rhodes Scholars representing the United States have been announced," Elliot F Gerson, American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust said in a statement.

Anisha Gururaj, a native of Chesterfield, Missouri is a senior majoring in chemical-biological engineering, according to MIT. She plans to pursue two degrees from Oxford: an MSc in engineering science research, with a focus in bioengineering, and a master's in public policy.

Gerson said "an outstanding young men and women of intellect, character, leadership and commitment are directed at fulfilling Mr Rhodes's hopes that the Rhodes Scholars would make an important and positive contribution throughout the world. In Rhodes' words, his Scholars should 'esteem the performance of public duties as their highest aim."

Sai P Gourisankar is a senior at the University of Texas, Maya Krishnan is a Stanford University senior majoring in Philosophy and Abishek Kulshreshtha is a senior at Brown University where he majors in Physics.

Every year, on the Saturday preceding the Thanksgiving holiday, a new American Rhodes Scholar class is elected. The outstanding students are selected from a pool of candidates nominated by their colleges and universities.

Established in 1902, it was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources.