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SPOTLIGHT
THE RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS: THE SECOND CENTURY
Current Rhodes Scholar for Hong Kong Cherry Xu (St John’s 2013) and Olivia Cheung (St Antony’s, 2012) take us behind the scenes of the 110th anniversary celebrations of the Rhodes Scholarships in Oxford.
THE RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS: THE SECOND CENTURY
Current Rhodes Scholar for Hong Kong Cherry Xu (St John’s 2013) and Olivia Cheung (St Antony’s, 2012) take us behind the scenes of the 110th anniversary celebrations of the Rhodes Scholarships in Oxford.
Hong Kong Rhodes Scholars in the dining hall in Trinity College during the celebrations. Front row from left to right: Olivia Cheung (2012), Cherry Xu (2013), second row from left to right: Siron Ng (2008) and Tianyu Zhang (2007).
Founded by the business leader and philanthropist Cecil Rhodes in 1903, the Rhodes Scholarships enable the most talented all-round students from around the world to pursue graduate studies at the University of Oxford, including one Rhodes Scholar a year from Hong Kong. Last week saw over 900 Scholars and family members gather in Oxford for the 110th anniversary celebrations of the Scholarship, featuring inspirational speaker sessions on leadership, fighting global poverty, justice and democracy, internet and social responsibility, as well as gala dinners, rowing, yoga and ice hockey tournaments. The current Rhodes Scholars for Hong Kong, Cherry Xu (St John’s, Bachelor of Civil Law) and Olivia Cheung (St Antony’s, MPhil in Politics) arrived in Oxford ahead of noughth week to join in the celebrations and shared their experiences:
Cherry said, ‘Towards the end of the 110th Anniversary, I was asked how I felt about it. “It is truly a blessing. A mind-blowing experience.” Such was my reply. Indeed, as one of the six 2013 Scholars who were present at the Anniversary, I feel so blessed to be able to make it there.
Cherry said, ‘Towards the end of the 110th Anniversary, I was asked how I felt about it. “It is truly a blessing. A mind-blowing experience.” Such was my reply. Indeed, as one of the six 2013 Scholars who were present at the Anniversary, I feel so blessed to be able to make it there.
Rhodes scholars gathered for the celebrations
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The intensive three-day programme was full of exciting events. It was a time to witness amazing things. To name just a few, we witnessed the announcement of the 75-million-pound donation from the McCall MacBain Foundation. We had the honour of listening to Lord Patten speaking, in person, just metres away. We listened, with pleasure, to the famous Kris Kristofferson singing and playing guitar at our events. And there were many more.
It was a platform for intellectual exchange and inspiration. Having been involved in discussions on topics such as leadership, poverty, democracy, and the selection of future Rhodes scholars, I find the experience truly engaging and enlightening. |
It was also a great chance to meet the wise members of the Rhodes community. Once I was waiting to cross the road from the Rhodes House and happened to be standing next to another Scholar. Upon a smile we started chatting. It turned out that he was an expert on renewable energy and we had a very interesting discussion on the environmental problems in Beijing and Hong Kong. Such encounters were numerous throughout the three days’ events. What better way to start one’s experience in the community than this In short, it has been a great, almost unbelievable experience. I now stand eager to start my Rhodes experience as a member of the 2013 cohort.”
And Olivia Cheung observed, ‘I had the privilege to volunteer at the Rhodes 110th Anniversary celebrations. I am very glad to have the opportunity to meet and greet our Rhodes alumni – from those elected in the 1940s to 2010s. I felt strongly encouraged to hear their piece of ‘fighting the world’s fight’. In these three days, I participated in many different workshops – all differently themed but related to how we want the future of the Trust to be like. We exchanged views about how to ensure the integrity of the selection process, and the practicality of expanding the footprints of the Trust to other countries. I appreciated how thoughtful and open the discussions were. During meal times, I shared with many scholars my research project and future plans. Many of them said to me, ‘if there is anything I could help, please let me know.’ Besides looking ahead, we also took time to pause and remember the Rhodes scholars who were no longer with us. I would like to this take chance to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all the Scholars, especially those who have helped with the activities of the Trust in various ways. If it were not for you, we would have never been able to go so far. Thank you.’
And Olivia Cheung observed, ‘I had the privilege to volunteer at the Rhodes 110th Anniversary celebrations. I am very glad to have the opportunity to meet and greet our Rhodes alumni – from those elected in the 1940s to 2010s. I felt strongly encouraged to hear their piece of ‘fighting the world’s fight’. In these three days, I participated in many different workshops – all differently themed but related to how we want the future of the Trust to be like. We exchanged views about how to ensure the integrity of the selection process, and the practicality of expanding the footprints of the Trust to other countries. I appreciated how thoughtful and open the discussions were. During meal times, I shared with many scholars my research project and future plans. Many of them said to me, ‘if there is anything I could help, please let me know.’ Besides looking ahead, we also took time to pause and remember the Rhodes scholars who were no longer with us. I would like to this take chance to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all the Scholars, especially those who have helped with the activities of the Trust in various ways. If it were not for you, we would have never been able to go so far. Thank you.’
John McCall MacBain addressing Rhodes Scholars at the Sheldonian during the Rhodes 110th anniversary celebrations
The highlight of the three days was the announcement of a landmark gift in support of the Rhodes Scholarships – a £75 million lead donation from John McCall MacBain (Wadham 1980, Rhodes Scholar from Quebec) and Marcy McCall MacBain. This gift coincides with the public launch of The Rhodes Scholarship Campaign for the Second Century, which aims to raise £110 million supporting the existing Scholarships, deepening the Scholar experience and expanding the Scholarships into new geographies.
Interviewed in September 2013
Interviewed in September 2013