University of Mississippi senior Sydney Guntharp has been named a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship — one of the most prestigious international awards for postgraduate study at the University of Oxford in England.
With only a small number of students in the United States becoming finalists each year, the Hernando, Miss., native joins an elite group of scholars recognized for their academic excellence and commitment to global change.
“(The Rhodes Scholarship) wants you to think about changing the entire world. They want you to have ambition at that scale and that level,” Guntharp said in a phone interview with The Daily Mississippian. “That’s what’s exciting to me, because I’m a big picture thinker, and that’s how I’ve always been. So that’s what draws me to (the scholarship).”
As a student double majoring in English and political science with a minor in gender studies, Guntharp balances her coursework with four different jobs, from mentoring students at the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement to working as a bookseller in Water Valley, Miss.
Preparing for the Rhodes Scholarship application, she said, was both rigorous and rewarding. The process required eight letters of recommendation, two curriculum vitae (CV) documents and weeks of revisions with the Office of National Scholarship Advisement, a campus program designed for competitive national and international scholarships like the Rhodes Scholarship.
Vivian Ibrahim, director of the Office of National Scholarship Advisement (ONSA), worked closely with Guntharp throughout the process.
“Working with Sydney Guntharp as she developed her Rhodes Scholarship application has been an absolute delight,” Ibrahim said. “Our conversations, often sparked by a book we’ve exchanged or a question about gender and justice, remind me daily of the transformative power of curiosity.”
Ibrahim believes that Guntharp stands as a model for the university as a whole.
“Sydney represents the very best of the University of Mississippi. She is intellectually fearless, creatively driven and deeply committed to inclusion,” Ibrahim said. “Her selection as a Rhodes finalist marks our sixth in three years, a testament to the remarkable students we have and the collaborative spirit we foster through the Office of National Scholarship Advisement. I hope Sydney’s journey inspires other students to explore what’s possible through ONSA.”
Jaime Harker, director of the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies and one of Guntharp’s mentors, also recalled her early impression of the student.
“I first met Sydney just before the start of her first year at the University of Mississippi; she and her family stopped by my bookstore in Water Valley during the Watermelon Carnival,” Harker said. “We discovered that she had read my book, published by UNC Press. High school seniors don’t usually read academic books, so I knew she was both very smart and motivated.”
From that initial meeting, Harker has served as both a professor and advisor for Guntharp.
“She took a 300-level class the spring of that year and excelled. She has continued to develop her research and writing skills and develop her own scholarly interests,” Harker said. “Having had the pleasure of working with her on her honors thesis over the last year, I am not surprised that she is a finalist for such a prestigious award. Her professors, myself included, have known this all along.”
After much preparation, Guntharp learned she had been named a finalist while sitting in class.
“I literally slapped my hand over my mouth,” Guntharp said, remembering the moment she read the email that popped up on her screen.
Guntharp will travel to Birmingham, Ala., this weekend from Nov. 14-15 for her Rhodes Scholarship finalist interview. She is eager for the opportunity to share her passions with the selection committee. As she looks ahead, Guntharp said she is focused on the experience rather than the outcome.
“No matter what happens, I’ve already learned so much from this process,” Guntharp said. “It’s helped me grow as a scholar.”
Guntharp hopes her journey inspires other students to take chances on big opportunities.
“Don’t let your inner critic convince you you’re not good enough,” Guntharp said. “All you can do is try.”
