UAE Rhodes selection committee announces recipients of 2023 scholarship

UAE Rhodes

The Selection Committee for the Rhodes Scholarship for the UAE has awarded two scholarships to Sara Alnajjar and Monika Mitova. Chosen based on exceptional intellect, character, leadership and commitment to service, the recipients will commence their academic year at the University of Oxford in October 2024.

Following a highly competitive and rigorous application process involving personal statements, academic transcripts, and interviews with top-performing candidates from leading universities across the UAE, 11 finalists were shortlisted. The two winners selected by the committee were announced in a ceremony on 18th November 2023.

Sara Alnajjar, an Emirati student at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), is completing her BA in Legal Studies and Social Research and Public Policy. She plans to pursue an MSc in Global Governance and Diplomacy, followed by an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Monika Mitova, also a student at NYUAD and originally from Bulgaria, is completing her BA in Political Science. Mitova is aiming for an MPhil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies.

The UAE Rhodes Scholarship selection committee consisting of UAE leaders and former Rhodes Scholars is chaired by Omar Saif Ghobash, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Commenting on the selection and the scholarship, Ghobash said, “It gives me great pleasure to extend the prestigious scholarship to these outstanding students. A nation’s bright future is determined by the progress its people achieve collectively. The UAE is a firm believer in the transformative power of education, and opportunities such as the Rhodes Scholarship enable deserving students to become the future leaders and drivers of the UAE’s success.”

Angela Migally, Executive Director of the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation, stated, "These scholarships represent the synergy between individual aspirations and the collective vision of our nation. Since 2014, Rhodes Scholarship has enabled talented students with exceptional skills the chance to pursue their academics and further their career goals. These opportunities prove to be the cornerstone of a nation’s progress, and we are confident that the winners of this scholarship will contribute to a bright future of the UAE, and the world.”

In 2022, Sara Fekri, an Emirati student at King’s College London, and Gustė Gurčinaitė, a student at NYUAD were named as the 2023 UAE Rhodes Scholars. Other notable Rhodes Scholars include Shamma Al Mazrui – the first recipient of the UAE Rhodes Scholarship who went on to become the Minister of State for Youth, and is currently the Minister of Community Development in the UAE – and Dubai Abulhoul – an Emirati author and founder of Fiker Institute.

The Rhodes Scholarship was first established in 1903 and is considered one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious higher education awards. It provides transformative opportunities for exceptional students to complete postgraduate studies and become future leaders in their respective fields. Initially known as Falcon Scholarships, the UAE Rhodes Scholarship was launched in 2013 under the patronage of the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and in cooperation with the Rhodes Trust, and has since granted 22 students the chance to pursue their career ambitions at the University of Oxford.