ARLINGTON, Va. — A cadet from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point is among the newest batch of Rhodes scholars.
Simone Askew of Fairfax, Virginia, is a senior at the U.S. Military Academy. She is an international history major.
Askew made headlines in August when she became the first black woman to lead the Corps of Cadets at West Point as First Captain.
Her mother told reporters over the summer: “That leadership is something I’ve seen throughout her life — wanting to be first, wanting to be the best, wanting to win, in sports, in academics, in every aspect of her life. ... And to serve others, as well.”
She is among 32 in the U.S. chosen as Rhodes scholars. Their scholarships cover postgraduate studies at Oxford University in England.
About 100 scholars will be selected worldwide this year. The scholarships are worth about $68,000 per year, according to the Rhodes Trust. The first class of American Rhodes Scholars entered Oxford in 1904.
