University of Richmond Senior Ibrahim Alkaseer Selected as Rhodes Scholar for Fully Funded Postgraduate Study at Oxford
Student Scholars
The highly competitive Rhodes Scholarship is one of the most prestigious in the world.
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — Ibrahim Alkaseer, a University of Richmond senior from Damascus, Syria, has been named a Rhodes Scholar. Alkaseer is Richmond’s sixth Rhodes Scholar and first since 2006.
Alkaseer was selected through the international Rhodes Constituency in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. The highly competitive Rhodes Scholarship fully funds postgraduate study for two or three years at the University of Oxford. Scholars are selected based on their exceptional academic achievement, leadership potential, and commitment to the common good. The scholarship is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious.
“Rhodes Scholars are selected for their potential to be leaders and change makers in the world,” said Dana Kuchem, director of the Office of Scholars and Fellowships. “We are excited to follow Ibrahim’s journey and see his impact unfold.”
During his time at Oxford, Alkaseer plans to pursue either a Master of Philosophy in politics with a focus on comparative government or a Master of Science in refugee and forced migration studies, which has also been a primary focus of his undergraduate academic research. He is double majoring in political science and economics, with a minor in Latin American, Latino, and Iberian Studies. He is also a Davis United World College Scholar and Bonner Scholar.
“This award is deeply significant to me. It allows me to pair moral clarity with the practical tools needed to pursue meaningful social change in the field of forced migration,” said Alkaseer. “I want to understand what refugees need, and not what states assume they need. As someone who was internally displaced and has family members living in refuge, the recognition feels profoundly personal.”
“Our students’ intellectual curiosity and their deep sense of responsibility to the world around them inspires me,” said Joan Saab, executive vice president and provost. “We are immensely proud of Ibrahim.”
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