Priya Sury, a first-year medical student, became the sixth University of Minnesota student to be named a Rhodes Scholar on Saturday.
Sury went to Chicago this weekend for the final step in the interview process. Fifteen other candidates from surrounding states were also given a 25-minute interview.
âÄúI am still really shocked and surprised about it all,âÄù Sury said.
Sury grew up in Roseville, Minn., and attended Roseville Area High School. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., earlier this year with degrees in anthropology and Spanish.
Rhodes Scholars are given the opportunity to travel to England and study for one to three years at Oxford University. Each year 32 Americans are chosen to receive the award.
A Rhodes Scholar, according to the programâÄôs website, is a student âÄútrained in the contemplative life of the mind, and broadened by their acquaintance with one another and by their exposure to cultures different from their own.âÄù
Sury plans to study medical anthropology during her time at Oxford, before returning to the University of Minnesota to complete her medical degree. She said she is hoping to one day practice medicine in Minneapolis.
Prerna Nadathur of Roseville was also named a Rhodes Scholar. She majored in mathematics and graduated from the University of Chicago in June.