Philosophy major Maya Underwood ’26 is rounding out her liberal arts experience with volunteer work, pre-med education, and musical training. In a year, she will be on her way to George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences, thanks to Rhodes’ Health Professions Advising Early Selection Program. George Washington University’s search for uncommon students like Underwood and Rhodes’ knack for producing them led to a partnership between the two institutions that allowed her to be accepted into medical school far earlier than most.

Ada Collins, who is a physics and mathematics major from Greensboro, NC, is among the 441 students from across the United States who have been selected as Goldwater Scholars for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Goldwater Foundation provides scholarships to support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming the nation’s next generation of natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering research leaders.

In 2021, Rhodes announced that its research proposal for a four-inch, cube-shaped satellite named RHOK-SAT was selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for its CubeSat Launch Initiative. Now the CubeSat has been delivered to NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it will wait for liftoff this summer.

Dr. Michael Nelson, professor of political science at Rhodes College and a recognized presidential scholar, has written a new book titled How College Presidents Succeed: Lessons in Leadership from Three Generations of Reveleys. It will be released April 8 by University of Virginia Press.

The Rhodes College mock trial A team has qualified to compete in the American Mock Trial Association National Championship Tournament to be held April 4-6 in Cleveland, OH. This will be Rhodes 37th year heading to the nationals.

Rev. Beatrix Weil, chaplain at Rhodes College, is the recipient of the Outstanding Professional Award presented by the Spirituality and Religion in Higher Education Knowledge Community of NASPA, the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Weil received the award at NASPA’s annual conference held March 15-19 in New Orleans.

Dr. Sarah E. Rollens, associate professor and chair of religious studies at Rhodes College, has co-edited, with Dr. Eric Vanden Eykel of Ferrum College and Dr. Meredith Warren of the University of Sheffield, a new book titled Judeophobia and the New Testament: Texts and Contexts. It will be released in April by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

The Spence Wilson Center for Interdisciplinary Humanities at Rhodes College will host a free public lecture on Sunday, March 30, by New York Times bestselling author and Yale historian Dr. Timothy Snyder. Snyder will speak “On Freedom and Just Habits of Mind,” based on his recent book On Freedom.

Rhodes College senior Parth Sinojia has been selected to receive the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which provides a $40,000 stipend for 12 months to travel and pursue an original project on a global scale. He is one of only 37 fellows selected in the nation for 2025 and the only Watson Fellow selected from a Tennessee college or university. His project is titled “Health and Homelessness: Accessing Medical Care Systems,” with proposed destinations of Japan, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Singapore.

Sam Lippe '25 is majoring in mathematics, minoring in physics and music, and highlighting the value of his interdisciplinary experiences to his peers every step of the way through extracurricular and teaching endeavors.