University of North Carolina Student From Eswatini in Southern Africa Named a Rhodes Scholar

The 32 Rhodes scholars from the United States will be announced later this month. But Rhodes Scholars are chosen from 23 other jurisdictions (more than 60 countries) around the world as well. Some of those selections have already been made.

Takhona Hlatshwako, a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a new Rhodes Scholar from the Kingdom of Eswatini in Southern Africa (formerly Swaziland). Hlatshwako is the 52nd Rhodes Scholar from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is among the first students from Eswatini to receive the Rhodes Scholarship. She was selected through the Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, and Eswatini Scholarship region established by the Rhodes Trust.

“I think it’s important for us to be represented in such a global community and to have our voices heard,” said Hlatshwako. “I’m humbled that I get to be the one to do that.”

Hlatshwako will pursue a fully-funded postgraduate degree at the University of Oxford in England beginning next fall. She plans to study for a master’s degree in international health and tropical medicine through the Oxford Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health within the Nuffield Department of Medicine. The course is a one-year interdisciplinary program that examines major health challenges of populations in low- and middle-income countries.

Following the completion of the program at the University of Oxford, Hlatshwako hopes to continue her graduate education to obtain a master’s degree in modeling for global health. Her goal is to earn a doctoral degree to become a global health scientist and to conduct research in global health, health equity, and infectious diseases

Related Articles

1 COMMENT

  1. If Takhona Hlatshwak had any true African self-respect she would happily decline the Rhodes scholarship down because it’s named after and finance after the racist murderer and exploiter of Africa’s mineral resources, White British supremacist and imperialist Cecil Rhodes. Unfortunately, this ill-informed African woman from Kingdom of Eswatini will just continue being a happy go-lucky and historically ignorant African cleaning up the brutal history of racist Cecil Rhodes. For those who dissent, do you think a so-called Jewish college student would accept an scholarship after Adolph Hitler? I wonder why!

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

How Early Childhood Education Affects Black Children’s Future Success

Over the past fifty years, a team of researchers have tracked 104 predominately Black participants from infancy to adulthood to determine how early childhood education affects their long term outcomes. Although they received the same education, Black boys had significantly lower cognitive scores than Black girls once they reached high school and beyond.

Swarthmore College President Valerie Smith Receives Contract Extension

Valerie Smith was named president of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania in 2015. She will continue in her role through at least June 2027.

Report Finds a 30 Percent Racial Gap in Median Appraised Home Values

According to a new report from the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, there has been some improvement in the Black-White gap in adjusted median home appraisal values over the past 10 years. However, the gap is still a staggering 30 percent.

Jerry Wallace Appointed President of Potomac State College in West Virginia

Dr. Jerry Wallace comes to his new role from Danville Community College in Virginia, where he has served as president since 2022. Earlier in his career, he was president of the Hastings campus at Nebraska Central Community College.

Featured Jobs