Two Stanford students selected as Rhodes Scholars

By Ray Delgado

Stanford seniors Elizabeth W. Mayne and Tanya Ali Haj-Hassan are among the 32 Americans who will attend Oxford University next fall as Rhodes Scholars.

Haj-Hassan, 20, of Amman, Jordan, is majoring in human biology and is expecting to graduate in June. She plans to study for a master of science degree in global health science at Oxford so that she can pursue a career devoted to improving health care conditions in the Middle East.

"I am very grateful and feel very blessed," Haj-Hassan said. "This was a program that I really wanted to pursue, and I'm glad I have the support to do it."

In her essay for the Rhodes application, Haj-Hassan said she saw herself as a "child of the world" thanks to an old UNICEF T-shirt that was emblazoned with the slogan. Having been born to an American Christian mother and an Arab Muslim father, she said she "always regarded [her] mixed identity as my greatest blessing. … My upbringing has armed me with the languages, cultural understanding and vision to interconnect with people from diverse backgrounds and settings."

Haj-Hassan co-founded the Coalition for Justice in the Middle East, a student organization, and served as vice president of the Muslim Student Awareness Network. She has volunteered as a chaplain at Stanford Hospital and conducted research on neonatal mortality in Jordan.

Haj-Hassan said the program in Global Health Science at Oxford would provide the framework for studying the intersecting fields of public health and international development in the developing world. She said she is not sure what exact job she would like to do after her studies but that she sees herself working on health issues somewhere in the Middle East.

"I know what goals I want to accomplish," Haj-Hassan said. "How I can accomplish those things, I'm not sure yet. All of us are aware of how unstable the Middle East is right now. I enjoy working in health, and I think poverty alleviation is really crucial, especially in many Middle East regions."

Mayne, 23, of Denver, Colo., expects to graduate next month with a bachelor's degree in biological sciences. At Oxford, she plans to study for a master of science degree (by research) in physiology.

A former competitive freestyle skier, Mayne also acted with the Stanford Shakespeare Players. In addition, she helped to develop and teach a student-led Shakespeare workshop for at-risk high school students. She previously served as co-chair of the Denver Mayor's Commission on Youth.

Mayne was in Denver over the weekend with other Rhodes finalists for the final two days of interviews when she was selected Saturday night. "I was stunned," she said. "All the rest of the finalists were amazingly qualified and brilliant and had done some amazing things in their lives."

Mayne said she would study physiology at Oxford, particularly ion flow and transport in information transduction, by working in the Calcium Signaling Group or the Oxford Ion Channel Initiative. "Exposure to research in one of Europe's premier institutions would provide a different perspective on scientific questions and refine my ability to think critically as a scientist," Mayne said in her application essay. "Study at Oxford would provide a foundation for the expertise I will need to participate in science policy decisions."

A Rhodes Scholarship provides for two to three years of study at Oxford. It pays for all college and university fees, provides a stipend to cover necessary expenses while in residence there (as well as during vacations) and covers transportation to and from England. The total value averages about $40,000 per year.

The oldest of the international study awards available to American students, the Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 by the will of Cecil Rhodes, a British philanthropist, businessman and empire builder.