Rhodes Scholars didn't always look like Serene Singh. And as a child in middle school, she pondered how different they were from her.

“I was looking at famous Rhodes Scholars, and you know, Bill Clinton and Cory Booker and George Stephanopoulos,” she said, describing a president, a senator and a television network anchor. “And … wow, these are so many cool people. But I remember very clearly thinking these people are not you. This will never be you.”

Until now.

Singh is a newly minted Rhodes Scholar, off to study at Oxford University in the fall of 2019 in a program that awards the smartest, most hardworking and successful college seniors in the U.S. to the prestigious British university.

She said she believes she is the first Sikh-American Rhodes Scholar and one of 21 women — the largest number of women ever in a U.S. Rhodes Scholar class.

The Rhodes Trust does not track religion, said Elliot Gerson, U.S. national secretary for the Rhodes Trust. He told VOA he believes Singh is correct.

In addition to exceptional grades, she started a nonprofit to empower women, coached a speech and debate team, and hosted the first Sikh langar, or community meal, at Colorado University in Boulder.

Her LinkedIn page lists a litany of accomplishments: Truman Scholar, Dalai Lama Scholar, president of her law fraternity, chief justice of the judicial branch of student government. All testimony to a driven life by her 21st birthday.

But stuffy, she’s not. As high school class president, Singh didn’t just give her commencement speech, she rapped it, concluding with a literal mic drop.

“Tough act to follow,” said principal Pete Alvarez, looking a bit chagrined.

Singh will join 31 other Americans on the scholarship that was founded in 1902 after the death of Cecil Rhodes. Each scholar is afforded two to three years of graduate education at Oxford University.

Singh plans to pursue a master’s in criminology and social justice, as well as a master's in a program called evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation at Oxford before applying to law school.

The first four female Rhodes scholars entered Oxford in 1977. In his will, Rhodes restricted the scholarship to men. An act of parliament was required to include women, according to Gerson.

“Since that time, women have been eligible. And there have been occasional years in which more women than men have been elected up, but never as many as this year,” he said.

The U.S. class of 2019 Rhodes scholars is the most diverse in the program’s history, with over half of the 32 scholars being immigrants or first-generation Americans.

Women’s equality and empowerment are among the issues most important to Singh. She started a nonprofit, the Serenity project, to bring a broad range of women to participate in a pageant to boost their confidence, work on their public speaking skills, and later be paired with a mentor.

“Women that have gone through trauma, discrimination, through hate crimes, through domestic abuse, through human trafficking, through foster care. … There's so many different experiences that women have gone through in the United States,” she said.

Fashion therapy is the first step of the Serenity project, helping women feel beautiful and confident, which they may not have the opportunity before. That approach was inspired by her experience in pageantry.

“I joined pageantry because I had a bias against it,” she said with a laugh, noting that doing things she thinks she will hate is one of the ways she challenges herself.

But Singh soon found that despite the stereotypes surrounding them, pageants were an excellent way to boost confidence.

“I gained skills in terms of public speaking, interview skills, poise and presentation, and just overall confidence and self-esteem, which was huge for me,” she said.

The skills and confidence she gained from pageantry bolstered her perfect academic record, relentless work ethic, and sense of service that led to her selection as a Rhodes scholar, according to Ross Taylor, one of her journalism professors at CU.

“She aspires to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court,” Taylor said. “I can safely say that I have not had a student to state that as a goal early at this stage in their career.”

“But if there's one person who could do it, it's her.”

In addition to empowering women, Singh has worked closely with Sikh organizations in Colorado and the U.S. to bring more awareness to her faith and culture.

“She has definitely been an asset to our community,” Dilpreet Jammu, president and executive director of Colorado Sikhs, told VOA.

“She's just involved in so many facets in terms of everything from education, to engagement, outreach, all the things. So, I think she really exemplifies what the next generation is all about,” he said, adding that he was particularly proud that the first Rhodes scholar in their community was a woman.

“I just love the fact that our daughters are the ones who are stepping up now,” he said.

Singh founded CU’s first Bhangra team — an Indian dance popular in university competition circuits throughout the U.S.

After a woman on campus spread hate speech, Singh’s team decided to fight back with their feet: A dance they performed in response to her words went viral on social media.

“I do believe that having voices that are different from yours — really important for growth and development,” Singh said. “But I also knew that as a human, it was really tough for me to watch that woman speak in ways that left people in tears and to not do anything.”

Singh believes that her background as a Punjabi and a woman of color in Colorado will inform her future role in the world.

“It's very important that we're putting more voices to the table people that are ready to fight the world’s fight,” she said.

“Not just because we look a certain way, but because we represent communities, and we represent beliefs and values and ideals that everyone might not initially understand.”

It’s tough to gain admission to Yale University, and it’s getting even tougher for international students as standout students from around the world set their sights on Yale.

The Yale Dale News, the campus newspaper, takes a look at the situation here.

Read the full story here.

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.

The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.

It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.

In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.

Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.

"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.

An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."

House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."

Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.

Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.

The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.

"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."

The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.

STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)

U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.

Read the full story here. (January 2025)

US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)

A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.

Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.

Read the full story here. (December 2024)

Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health reaches out to international students by detailing the international student experience at the school.

Learn more about housing, life in Boston and more here.

China issued its first national action plan to build a "strong education nation" by 2035, which it said would help coordinate its education development, improve efficiencies in innovation and build a "strong country."

The plan, issued Sunday by the Communist Party's central committee and the State Council, aims to establish a "high quality education system" with accessibility and quality "among the best in the world."

The announcement was made after data on Friday showed China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, with the number of deaths outpacing a slight increase in births, and experts cautioning that the downturn will worsen in the coming years.

High childcare and education costs have been a key factor for many young Chinese opting out of having children, at a time when many face uncertainty over their job prospects amid sluggish economic growth.

"By 2035, an education power will be built," the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that China would explore gradually expanding the scope of free education, increase "high-quality" undergraduate enrolment, expand postgraduate education, and raise the proportion of doctoral students.

The plan aims to promote "healthy growth and all-round development of students," making sure primary and secondary school students have at least two hours of physical activity daily, to effectively control the myopia, or nearsightedness, and obesity rates.

"Popularizing" mental health education and establishing a national student mental health monitoring and early warning system would also be implemented, it said.

It also aims to narrow the gap between urban and rural areas to improve the operating conditions of small-scale rural schools and improve the care system for children with disabilities and those belonging to agricultural migrant populations.

The plan also aims to steadily increase the supply of kindergarten places and the accessibility of preschool education.

The Open Notebook, a site focusing on educating journalists who cover science, has complied a list of U.S. graduate program financial aid information for international students.

Read it here.