By Kaylee White
Shreyas Hallur (ΦBK, Duke University) is one of five Indian-Americans and one of only two Duke University students to be selected as a 2023 Rhodes Scholar.
The Rhodes Scholarship was established in 1902 with the goal of identifying young leaders from around the world and inviting them to pursue graduate education at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. The scholarship funds two to three years of graduate study, which is approximately $75,000 per year. Only 32 scholars were selected to begin their studies at Oxford this fall, and only 3,610 Americans have been selected for the award since 1904.
Elliot F. Gerson, the American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust tells The American Bazaar that the Rhodes Scholarship is “the oldest and best-known award for international study, and arguably the most famous academic award available to American college graduates.”
It is easy to see why the Rhodes Trust selected Hallur for this exceptional scholarship. Hallur found his purpose as a teenager when he became a peer mentor for others with autism. When interacting with his peers, Hallur realized that an emphasis on their autism diagnosis prevented them from equal access to STEM resources and extracurriculars compared to non-autistic students. Hallur teamed up with the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, the Arizona SciTech Initiative, and the Institute for Learning Innovation to submit a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation, which provided the funding for a program offering STEM-specific extracurricular experiences to his peers at SARRC.
Hallur has further expanded upon this line of work during his time at Duke University as both the co-president of the Duke Disability Alliance and the co-director of Disability Policy for Duke Student Government. He also is currently a Project Advisor at the Southwest Autism Research Center, a research fellow at Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, and a research assistant at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development.
In addition to being a Rhodes Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Hallur is also a Nakayama Public Scholar, a Margolis Scholar in Health Policy and Management, and a National Merit Scholar, just to name a few. Hallur has also interned at both the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services. As a Statistical Science and Public Policy double major, Hallur is interested in improving behavioral health and rural health disparities in Medicaid administration and health policy.
“It is an incredible honor and privilege to have been selected as a 2023 Rhodes Scholar-elect,” says Hallur in a LinkedIn post. “The selection process has been long but rewarding, and I am immensely grateful for all the friends, family members, Duke professors, alumni, and staff who have supported me throughout this journey.”
Hallur hopes to pursue a medical degree in the United States after using his Rhodes Scholarship to obtain a Master of Science in Medical Anthropology at Oxford and is looking forward to continuing his education and making memories across the pond.
Photo at top from Shreyas Hallur | Office of University Scholars and Fellows (duke.edu).
Kaylee White is a recent graduate of Southwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa there in May 2022. Southwestern is home to the Theta of Texas chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Kaylee is currently working on a Master of Science in psychology at the University of Texas San Antonio.