Coe College senior Katie Ameku selected as a Rhodes Scholar
Coe College senior Katie Ameku is among 32 students from the United States selected as a Rhodes Scholar. The preeminent global academic award provides scholarships and travel expenses to study at the University of Oxford.
Nearly 3,000 U.S. students applied to be Rhodes Scholars. Committees in 16 districts across the country selected 238 finalists for interviews.
Ameku, who is from Independence, Missouri, is a mathematics and physics major at Coe. She is the youngest elected official in Missouri, organizing Democratic election efforts in her home precinct. On campus, she is a senior resident assistant and lobbied for Title IX training for researchers. She has conducted physics academic research and also traveled to Georgia Tech and Penn to contribute to research projects as well.
As a Rhodes Scholar, Ameku plans to pursue a philosophy, politics and economics degree at Oxford. It’s a signature degree at Oxford and frequently chosen by world leaders.
“Not only am I honored with the opportunity to pursue further education at Oxford, but being able to represent Coe is truly, truly the greatest honor. Having access to a network of changemakers and people that are also like-minded is going to further prepare me for my future,” Ameku said.
Ameku is Coe’s third Rhodes Scholar, joining Darryl Banks ’72 and Paul Engle ’31. Plus, over the past eight years, three Coe students have been finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship, including Ameku. Kohawks have an advantage in pursuing prestigious scholarships and fellowships — Coe has a dedicated resource on campus, Associate Professor of English and National Fellowship Advisor Dr. Amber Shaw.
The Rhodes application process is lengthy and rigorous and Ameku credits Shaw with valuable guidance and organization during the application period. The two have been working closely over the past six months.
“When Katie called me to tell me the news, it was one of the professional highlights of my career. Hearing the excitement in her voice and knowing she had just experienced something life changing was really gratifying to me as an advisor,” Shaw said. “I am so proud of Katie for all the hard work she has done, not just on her Rhodes application, but on four years of work in her classes and her political commitments in Missouri and around the U.S.”
Across the past decade, Coe has a strong tradition of national academic recognition. Forty-three Kohawks have won Truman, Goldwater, Fulbright, Gilman and National Science Foundation scholarships and fellowships. The Rhodes Scholarship for Ameku brings that total to 44.
“This prestigious award is without peer for undergraduate excellence and puts a Kohawk side-by-side with future global leaders. Presidents, diplomats, leading academics, renowned scientists, artists and some of the best medical minds are Rhodes Scholars. What an incredible accolade for Katie, and it is an honor for Coe as well,” said Coe College President David Hayes ’93.
The Princeton Review ranks Coe faculty as the #22 Most Accessible Professors in the nation. All Kohawks are guaranteed an internship, research opportunity or off-campus study before graduation.