Stanford students Francesca Fernandes ’25, Alvin Lee ’25, Mikayla Tillery ’25 and Kate Tully ’25 were awarded Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest scholarship in the English-speaking world for their work in theoretical physics, education policy, architecture and international relations, respectively. The scholars will receive a full-ride to study for two to four years at the University of Oxford, following in the footsteps of 104 other Stanford alumni since the inception of the Rhodes Scholarship. The scholarship was founded in 1902 after the death of Cecil Rhodes. 

Preparing the next generation of scholars to “fight the world’s fight,” the motto of the Rhodes Scholarship, these scholars were selected for this merit-based scholarship “from a pool of 865 finalists who had been nominated by their colleges and universities,” according to a statement by the Rhodes Trust. 

Alvin Lee ’25

Lee said he plans to explore comparative education policy in Oxford’s Department of Education and Department of Public Policy, believing this global perspective will inform his decisions as he navigates a future career in public policy.  

Lee’s interest in public policy started early. Growing up with first-generation immigrant parents, Lee realized that education was “endemic to and systemic to so many larger societal inequities.” As a ninth-grade student, Lee attended local school board meetings. 

At Stanford, he studies Public Policy. Lee said he is currently “institutionalizing student voice into our actual educational system” by writing bills and founding his nationwide charity GENup — a California-based, nationwide, student-led education policy organization that strives to advocate for education reform through youth voices.

Political Science Professor Michael W. Kirst, who taught Lee, said that Lee has “mastered the intricacies of the entire policy cycle and process,” 

In 2024, Lee launched the Stanford California Policy Forum and Speaker series, hoping to bring together thinkers from policymakers and business leaders to creative artists and “tap into [Stanford’s] creative and entrepreneurial energy” to tackle social inequity.

Francesca Fernandes ’25

Fernandes, is fueled by her dedication to increasing representation and equity in the field of physics. She developed her passion in physics by reading 22 physics books the summer before Stanford, including “Science Behind Interstellar” and “Brief Answers to the Big Questions,” driving her to pursue a physics degree at Stanford.

However, after being told to quit physics, Fernandes said she realized, “women in this field really are just treated differently.” She said she’s passionate about “increasing the accessibility of physics to women and to people from under-resourced backgrounds.”

Fernandes was inspired by Caltech professor of mathematics and computing, Matilde Marcolli’s open discussion of bipolar disorder and sexism, which she said restored her sense of belonging in the field. 

“Connecting women in physics to those who are just starting out is crucial for fostering a more equitable environment,” Fernandes said. 

“I’ve also worked a lot on helping to found a graduate mentorship program for undergraduates in physics,” Fernandes said. Helping to create the course Physics 43E, which will be debuted in the coming years, Fernandes hopes to give greater access to physics to those with under-resourced high school backgrounds. 

Since coming to Stanford, Fernandes has been involved in many organizations to improve the accessibility of physics, including a virtual outreach program to high school girls called Inspiring Next Generation of Women in Physics. The program is completely free to participants and aims to serve first-generation students through physics projects, teaching students python and holding career development workshops.

As she prepares to study mathematical physics at Oxford, Fernandes said she hopes to connect with “people who can help expand my goals of equity in physics” and study premier mathematical physics such as twistor theory, a framework which attempts to bridge general relativity and quantum mechanics. 

Kate Tully ’25

Tully seeks to understand democratic regression, when elections are weakened and human rights are restricted and political violence in sub-Saharan Africa. Her interest was ignited after pursuing internships with the State Department and the Department of Defense during her sophomore year at Stanford. Tully said she was surprised by the “little existing academic literature on this recent string of coups.”

At Stanford, Tully immersed herself in political science coursework which provided an “essential academic foundation for me to understand the nuances of political violence, autocratic actors and the role of great power competition,” Tully wrote in an email to The Daily.

Tully credits her advisors — Larry Diamond, Condoleezza Rice and Stephen Kotkin — writing “[they] always encouraged me to think about the importance and trajectory of civilian-led government across the world.” 

Tully plans for a Master of Philosophy thesis at Oxford, saying she is eager to utilize the resources at Oxford’s Conflict, Peace and Security Hub within the Department of Politics and International Relations to pursue her research. “So many people and communities supported me during my time at Stanford, and I’m beyond excited to begin my studies at Oxford,” Tully wrote. 

Advice from the scholars

Lee’s advice to Stanford students was, “Pursue your passions. Be yourself, be authentic, be core to your convictions. And most crucially, think of ways to be civically minded.” 

For students interested in applying to the Rhodes Scholarship, Assistant Dean Diane Murk wrote that students should “think about why a period of study in the U.K. after graduation makes sense and how it aligns with your future goals [and] begin to research programs of study in the U.K. Be aware of what is happening in the world, whether connected to your subject or not. ”

The Stanford recipients are not alone in their diverse study areas. “Rhodes alumni have excelled across diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including government, science and medicine, business, technology, law, literature, journalism, and the arts,” wrote Thom Yu, on behalf of the Director of the Office of the American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust, in an email to The Daily.

As Lee, Tully, Fernandes and Tillery join this esteemed network, their journeys reflect how they have “gone further [than other applicants] in their studies and in their extracurricular activities” wrote Murk. 

The fourth Rhodes Scholar recipient, Mikayla Tillery, did not respond to requests to comment.