UH Manoa senior Eli Tsukayama a finalist in prestigious Rhodes Scholar selection process

UH Manoa senior psychology major Eli Tsukayama is a finalist in the process to select American university students to be Rhodes Scholars for graduate study at the University of Oxford in England.. In 2004 Tsukayama was awarded a University of Hawaiʻi Presidential Scholarship and transferred to Manoa from Leeward Community College where he graduated as the valedictorian.

Tsukayama is an honors student with a 4.0 grade point average at Manoa, and has been involved in numerous service organizations and honor societies, including Mortarboard, Psi Chi, Golden Key, Tau Sigma, and Phi Theta Kappa, and has served in various leadership roles.

Currently, Tsukayama is president of the Regents and Presidential Scholars (RAPS) and is a student advisor for the Peer Mentor ʻOhana. He was home schooled before enrolling at Leeward, and he credits that home school foundation for his academic success. He was also a state champion in judo.


Oxford and the Rhodes Scholarships (from the Rhodes Scholarship Web site)

The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest international fellowships, were initiated after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, and bring outstanding students from many countries around the world to the University of Oxford. The first American Scholars were elected in 1904.

Intellectual distinction is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for election to a Rhodes Scholarship. Selection committees are charged to seek excellence in qualities of mind and in qualities of person which, in combination, offer the promise of effective service to the world in the decades ahead.

The Rhodes Scholarships, in short, are investments in individuals rather than in project proposals. Accordingly, applications are sought from talented students without restriction as to their field of academic specialization or career plans although the proposed course of study must be available at Oxford, and the applicant's undergraduate program must provide a sufficient basis for further study in the proposed field. Through the years, Rhodes Scholars have pursued studies in all of the varied fields available at the University of Oxford.

Rhodes Scholars are elected for two years of study at the University of Oxford, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. All educational costs, such as matriculation, tuition, laboratory and certain other fees, are paid on the Scholar's behalf by the Rhodes Trustees. Each Scholar receives in addition a maintenance allowance adequate to meet necessary expenses for term-time and vacations. The Rhodes Trustees cover the necessary costs of travel to and from Oxford, and upon application, may approve additional grants for research purposes or study-related travel.

For more information, visit: http://www.rhodesscholar.org