Before even applying to college, Johnathan Burch ’27 already had a clear idea that he wanted to pursue studies in politics and medical law. When the Charlotte, NC, native was introduced to Rhodes through the Posse Foundation, he quickly connected with the college’s political science and leadership opportunities.
At Opening Convocation, Burch was inspired by student body president Claire Kiernan ’24, who spoke to the incoming class about her experience at Rhodes. “I thought, ‘I want to be there one day. I want to be up there on that podium, I want to be a representative voice of the student body and serve this new community that I am in.’” Since his first semester, Burch has been an active member of Rhodes Student Government (RSG), serving as a senator for the last two years. He earned the Jacob Abraham Award his first year and served as chair of the Diversity and Inclusion committee during his second. Now a junior, Burch is stepping into the role of student body president.
As RSG president, Burch’s top priority is to make Rhodes a welcoming space for all students. “I want to support a strong Rhodes community that is guided by the unique perspectives of our students, alumni, faculty, and staff, making sure that all voices are at the table, especially in this hundredth year of Rhodes in Memphis,” says Burch. In his first month as president, he fostered support for senator-sponsored campuswide passion projects: “We are getting more students into the conversation by allowing them to bring ideas forward.”
A political science major with health equity and philosophy minors, Burch has taken full advantage of internship and fellowship opportunities at Rhodes and beyond. The summer after his freshman year, Burch spent two months as a clinical quality improvement intern at Church Health, which allowed him to connect with Memphians and serve the uninsured community in the city. Following this internship, Burch travelled to Washington, DC, to serve as a junior faculty advisor for the Washington Journalism and Media Conference—one of his former high school programs where he was a national youth correspondent. There, he got a glimpse into his aspired career path when he had the opportunity to spend a day with Senator Cory Booker on Capitol Hill.
Coming into college, he also knew he wanted to study abroad. As a first-year, he hosted a spring passport fair in collaboration with RSG and the Christian Brothers University student government to help this dream come true. Almost 20 students were able to obtain passports, including himself, paving the way for his dream to study abroad to become a reality when in the summer of 2025 he was selected for the prestigious Frederick Douglass-Daniel O’Connell Global Internship in Dublin, Ireland. Primarily sponsored by the Council on International Educational Exchange and the government of Ireland, Burch says the trip was transformative. In the eight-week program he was placed as an intern with the Irish Innocence Project, which aims to bring justice to people who believe they have been wrongfully convicted. He worked on cases as a legal research intern, participated in field work related to policy, attended lectures on global leadership and professional development, and even had the opportunity to meet the Taoiseach [Prime Minister] of Ireland.
Even though Burch always knew the path he would follow, at Rhodes he has had experiences he never could have predicted. When he has faced struggles along the way, he has persevered, sometimes changing his plans but always finding a way to adapt through his firm belief in the inevitability and motivation of change. As RSG president, this year it was Burch’s turn to welcome first-year students at Opening Convocation and offer inspiration about their journey at Rhodes. His message: “Your story is writing itself, and in the end, it will be one worth telling.”
By Simran Kumar '26
