Rhodes College has joined the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance, a group of 51 national liberal arts colleges committed to addressing systemic racism and the unique challenges pertaining to racial diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus. Alliance membership provides a range of resources that will assist the college in achieving its strategic goals of fostering a culture of belonging and ensuring a transformational student experience.

With an impressive resume that includes time in the White House and service in the Department of Homeland Security, Victoria McCullough ’07 credits Rhodes with influencing her career path in community service and activism. Now serving as the Director of Public Policy and Social Impact at Tumblr, McCullough says that her affinity for social activism is more important than ever.

Rhodes senior and mock trial captain Matthew Mussalli has been working as a student clerk at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, one of the offices of the U.S. Department of Justice. This summer, he experienced first-hand the development of protocols for virtual trials due to the pandemic.

Dr. Kijan Bloomfield, assistant professor of religious studies, has been awarded a $7,500 grant for her project titled “Lived Africana Religion in the Time of COVID-19.” The award is from Columbia University’s Center on African American Religion, Sexual Politics and Social Justice, with support from the Henry Luce Foundation. Bloomfield will document and archive the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Africana religious traditions, globally.

Dr. Dana Horgen’s dual passions for running and chemistry have defined her personal and professional trajectories. In addition to teaching and directing chemistry lab studies, the assistant professor of chemistry is captaining Team Rhodes, which participates in the annual St. Jude Memphis Marathon.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and provides grants for English teaching assistantships as well as for individually designed study/research projects. Twenty Rhodes students have been nominated for Fulbright U.S. Student awards to be used for the 2021-2022 academic year. Winners will be announced throughout Spring 2021.

Three annual alumni awards, presented annually at Alumni Convocation during Homecoming and Reunion Weekend are announced. Chloe Hakim-Moore ’16 is recipient of the 2020 Young Alumni Award, Melanie A. Hillard ’92 has been selected as the 2020 Black Student Association Distinguished Alumni Award, and Allen Reynolds ’60 is the recipient of the 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Four Rhodes College seniors are competing for the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which provides a $36,000 grant for purposeful, independent exploration abroad in 2021. If selected, fellows execute their conceived projects by traveling outside the United States for one year. They are Gunner Smith, Vindhyaa Pasupuleti, Hannah Johns, and Jacob Fontaine.

Spanish 102 students continue Rhodes’ tradition of observing the Day of the Dead by creating the traditional altars, called ofrendas, in their own homes, adding a layer of meaning and importance during this time of separation.

Dr. Kiren Khan, assistant professor of psychology, has been supervising a team of Rhodes students on research related to the Summer Success kindergarten readiness program she co-developed with researchers at The Ohio State University and implemented in Memphis across the previous two summers. Four psychology majors who are members of Khan’s Language and Literacy Lab were involved in summer 2020 research. They are Taylor Duncan ’21, Eraine Leland ’21, Meredith Schoel ’21, and Leticia Rosas ’22.