University of Pennsylvania fourth-year Florence Onyiuke, from Altamonte Springs, Florida, has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship for graduate study at the University of Oxford in England.

The Rhodes, established in 1902, is highly competitive and one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world. The scholarship funds tuition and a living stipend for two or three years of graduate study at Oxford and may allow funding in some instances for four years. At Oxford, Onyiuke plans to pursue a master’s degree in economic development with a focus on West Africa.

Onyiuke is pursuing an international relations and business degree in the Huntsman Program, a dual degree program in the Wharton School and the School of Arts & Sciences, as well as a minor in Spanish. Onyiuke’s interests include international economic development, international law, and immigration. Her senior thesis, based on research she conducted in Spain during a Penn Abroad semester last spring, explores the informal economy and socioeconomic mobility of West African street vendors in Barcelona. Onyiuke was a Frederick Douglass Global Fellow, a three-year Perry World House Student Fellow, a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board, and executive director of Black Wharton Consulting. She is also a Coca Cola Scholar, Ron Brown Scholar, and recipient of the Presidential Service and Educational Excellence Awards.

According to the Rhodes Trust, about 100 Rhodes Scholars will be selected worldwide this year. Onyiuke is among the 32 American Rhodes Scholars chosen to represent the United States. According to the Rhodes Trust, this year nearly 2,800 American students began the application process; 965 were endorsed by 264 different colleges and universities; and 238 applicants reached the final stage of the competition.

Onyiuke applied for the Rhodes Scholarship with assistance from Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.

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