Rhodes Scholars Elect For 2009

27 November 2008

Rhodes Scholars Elect For 2009

Peter Cox, Laura Fraser, Nina Hall have been selected as Rhodes Scholars following a selection meeting at Government House in Auckland yesterday.

Tenable at Oxford University, Rhodes Scholarships constitute the pinnacle of achievement for university graduates wishing to pursue postgraduate study at one of the world’s leading universities. In this country, the awards are administered by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee.

Dr Peter Cox graduated with his MB ChB with distinction in medicine and surgery from the University of Otago’s medical school in 2007. He is currently working as a house surgeon at Blenheim’s Wairau Hospital. A former head boy of Otago Boys’ High School, Peter was a New Zealand representative in athletics and holds various national junior and secondary school athletics records. In 2006 he was ranked in the top10 in the Commonwealth for the decathlon. Peter, who by studying at Oxford will be following in his mother’s footsteps, will undertake a DPhil in cardiovascular medicine. He hopes to return to New Zealand to use his skills to benefit his fellow citizens.

Laura Fraser, a born and bred Southlander, was educated at James Hargest High School in Invercargill and has just completed an LLB (Hons) and BA in politics at the University of Otago. Laura will pursue studies towards a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) followed by a Master of Science (MSc) in environmental change and management at Oxford University. Laura is a keen sportsperson, having played cricket, netball, basketball and hockey at James Hargest High School. Laura has captained Invercargill representative hockey teams and says hockey is a passion that she intends to continue at Oxford. An accomplished debater, she has put those skills to use in international mooting competitions. Laura’s Oxford studies will give her the knowledge to contribute to the development and management of environmental policy in New Zealand.

Nina Hall, educated at Samuel Marsden Collegiate School, is a University of Auckland graduate who has recently completed a Master of Arts degree (MA) with first class honours in political studies, having earlier graduated with a BA (Hons). Nina’s MA research project looked at the implementation of gender equality initiatives in East Timor. This required a three-week period of intensive fieldwork in Timor-Leste which Nina found challenging due to security issues and daily power cuts. Nina has just finished a two-month internship at the UN Secretariat Headquarters in New York, and will leave shortly for Nepal to work for UNICEF on social policy and child poverty issues. She hopes to undertake a DPhil at Oxford looking at immigration policy with a focus on the transit centres set up in Italy, France and Spain for processing illegal immigrants from Africa.

ENDS

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