Rhodes College alumna Amy Coney Barrett ’94 was confirmed to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States on October 26, 2020. Barrett graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English and was selected by fellow students to be inducted into the Rhodes Student Hall of Fame.

Carly Goeman and Kelsey Hope, both attorneys and members of the Rhodes Class of 2011, participated in mock trial while students. Goeman captained teams, and Hope even went on to compete during law school. Now the two have relied on relationships formed during their college mock trial experiences to get a new video series off the ground, branded as Ask The Experts.

Dr. Trimiko Melancon, associate professor of English and Africana studies, and Karl Erickson, assistant professor of art and art history, will have their films featured at the annual Indie Memphis Film Festival to be held Oct. 21-29. In its new form, the film festival will feature virtual screenings and outdoor screenings.

The Rhodes College Lynx have a new look. The college has unveiled a reimagined set of logos representing the Lynx athletic brand. The primary logo shows the Lynx with the iconic “M Bridge," to illustrate the key partnerships and deep relationship between Rhodes and its home city.

Dr. Earl Wright II, who joined Rhodes’ Department of Anthropology and Sociology this year as professor of sociology, has published a new book titled Jim Crow Sociology: The Black and Southern Roots of American Sociology. The eye-opening book features the activities and contributions of early African American sociologists at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) such as Tuskegee Institute, Fisk University, Howard University, and Atlanta University.

Rhodes students are known for being intellectually curious and self-motivated, but it always helps to have the guidance of faculty mentors. Natalie Smith ’22, with the assistance of Dr. Ali Masood in political science, has been working on a project focusing on redistricting cases in the American federal judiciary. Masood calls Smith’s project “well thought out and well executed” that has the potential to be published in a peer-reviewed outlet.

Using classroom training to serve the Memphis community, Rhodes’ business course Taxation for Working Poor accomplishes the college’s vision of ​students translating academic study and personal concern into effective leadership and action in their communities. Since starting the course in 2015, Rhodes has certified more than 275 student volunteers, who have helped Memphis taxpayers save approximately $10,186,000 in combined refunds and tax preparation fees.

At Rhodes, Sarah Eiland ’20 discovered her passion and followed it all the way to Ireland at the University College of Dublin (UCD) where she is pursuing a master’s degree in the school’s Gender, Politics, and International Relations program.

In just two years, the Just Food: Race, Class, and Gender in the U.S. course has become one of the most unique and popular classes offered at Rhodes. The JustFood podcast highlights stories exploring the complexities of food production, consumption, and inequality across the city of Memphis. “As a collective, the podcast series reveals the role of storytelling to promote empowerment through awareness, equity, and autonomy,” explains Dr. Kimberly Kasper. “We hope that all who listen can come to recognize the value of those narratives and how they help to shape the dynamic foodscape of Memphis.”