Luther College student named Rhodes Scholar
Georgianna Whitely, a senior at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, was offered a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in late November. Whitely, a native of Wayzata, Minnesota, is pursuing a major in chemistry and a minor in biology.
Rhodes Scholarships are postgraduate awards supporting outstanding all-around students at the University of Oxford, in England. Awards are given to “young women and men of outstanding intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service,” according to the organizational website.
“I am immensely proud of Annie and of the Luther faculty who have mentored and supported her journey of transformation,” Luther College President Richard Torgerson wrote on the school’s website. “This is a great honor for Luther College and it affirms the type of education we offer — one that moves students beyond immediate interests and present knowledge into a larger world.”
The Luther senior worked with Maasai elders in Tanzania on traditional medicine, including the distillation of plant oils, which can be used in the economic development of the community’s school.
Whitely has maintained a 3.988 G.P.A. throughout her college career. She was one of 32 American students from a pool of 838 who had been endorsed by their universities.
Tags: Georgianna Whitely, Luther College, Rhodes Scholarship, Richard Torgerson, University of Oxford
