This archive report was first published on 26 November 2019.
On November 25, 2019, Wanjiku 'Wawa' Gatheru, a 20-year-old Kenyan-American, made history by becoming the first black person to receive the University of Connecticut's Rhodes Scholar.
Gatheru, a senior majoring in Environmental Studies with minors in Global Studies and Urban and Community Studies, was among 32 people in the United States elected to the American Rhodes Scholar Class of 2020 to continue postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford in England.
As an accomplished singer and daughter of two Kenyan immigrants who grew up in Pomfret, Gatheru's achievement is a testament to her hard work and dedication. She took to social media to express her gratitude and excitement, saying, 'Just when I think I’ve run out of tears, they just. keep. coming. I am a 2020 Rhodes Scholar. The 1st in UConn’s history and (by the looks of archives) the first Black person to receive the Rhodes, Truman, and Udall. This is unreal. Mom and Dad – I did it!!'
Before being selected as a Rhodes Scholar, Gatheru had already received several other prestigious awards, including the 2019 Truman Scholar and the 2019 Udall Scholar. She was the first student in UConn's history to win those honors in the same year.
Gatheru's academic and service endeavors have been widely recognized, and she plans to pursue a public service career that empowers and supports culturally competent, community-based environmental solutions. She aspires to eventually run for Congress and become the first black congresswoman from Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District.
With her selection as a Rhodes Scholar, Gatheru is one step closer to achieving her goal of uplifting the voices of those most adversely impacted by environmental inequities. She and her counterparts were selected from a pool of 963 applicants nominated by their colleges and universities, and who were then narrowed down to a smaller group of students who went through a rigorous interview process.
