Rakim Brooks '09 Awarded Rhodes Scholarship
11/24/2008 - The Dean of the College Office is thrilled to announce that Rakim Brooks '09 has been named a 2009 Rhodes Scholar from the State of Rhode Island. Named after British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes, Rhodes Scholarships pay all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Thirty-two U.S. Rhodes scholars are selected each year from about 800 nominees.
Rakim is a senior concentrating in africana studies and philosophy. A recipient of a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, he is writing an honors thesis on African American leadership in the post-civil rights era. His advisor is Professor Barrymore (Tony) Bogues, Chair of the Africana Studies Department. While at Oxford, Rakim plans to pursue an M.Phil. in comparative social policy.
Rakim’s academic endeavors have been complemented by a wide range of activities outside the classroom. He has worked as a writing fellow, a research assistant, and a member of Brown's Mock Trial Team. He has also chaired the Africana Studies Departmental Undergraduate Group as well as the Academics and Administrative Affairs Committee of the Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS). One of four students appointed by UCS to the Task Force on Undergraduate Education, Rakim served on that group’s General Education subcommittee. He has also completed internships at the Center for Law and Social Policy and the Brookings Institute. His community service includes tutoring juvenile inmates at the Rhode Island Training School.
Rakim’s service to Brown and to the greater Providence community exemplifies the spirit of public service that the Rhodes Scholars program aims to recognize and develop. The Rhodes Scholars website states, “Recipients of Rhodes Scholarships are chosen for their high academic achievement, integrity of character, a spirit of unselfishness, respect for others, potential for leadership, and physical vigor. These basic characteristics are directed at fulfilling Mr. Rhodes’s hopes that the Rhodes Scholars would make an effective and positive contribution throughout the world.”
Like the Rhodes Scholars Program, Brown University strives to develop young people’s intellectual and ethical capacities so that they may share their knowledge and talents with others. Rakim has used Brown’s open learning environment to chart a broad intellectual journey that reflects his own interests and goals. At the same time, he has consistently participated in the life of the College, investing his time and his talents in work that directly benefits the College and the community. We applaud Rakim for his achievements at Brown and for winning the Rhodes Scholarship, and wish him all the best on the next stage of his intellectual journey.
Click here to read about this year's Rhodes Scholarship recipients.