PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Ariana Palomo, a senior at Brown University concentrating in international and public affairs and Latin American and Caribbean studies, was elected to the Rhodes Scholar Class of 2025 on Saturday, Nov. 16. 

The Rhodes Scholarship, widely considered to be one of the most prestigious academic awards available to undergraduate students, provides 32 recipients with all expenses for two or three years of graduate study at the University of Oxford in England. 

Palomo has her sights set on a career in immigration policy, and with the scholarship, she will pursue two master’s degrees from Oxford: one in refugee and forced migration studies, and the other in global governance and diplomacy. 

“Being named a Rhodes Scholar is a result of the community that raised me and continues to shape me — my family, friends and mentors who have been so essential in my journey,” said Palomo, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a child and now lives in McKinney, Texas. “As an immigrant myself, this represents a profound opportunity to continue my work with immigration.” 

As Palomo continues to write her honors thesis at Brown on arms trafficking across the U.S.-Mexico border, she is supplementing her research with direct action to advocate for asylum-seekers. She became an integral part of the Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice, supporting individual cases for asylum by conducting in-depth interviews with clients in Spanish, her native language. She also studies Portuguese and Arabic. 

“The Open Curriculum has been invaluable to my experience,” Palomo said. “Brown’s approach to education facilitated me delving into transnational crime, governance and immigration policy in multiple departments outside of my concentration … I am so grateful to all of the professors that I have taken courses with and worked with outside of the classroom. They have served as salient mentors as I navigate my academics and professional aspirations.” 

Palomo is an editor-in-chief of the Brown Journal of World Affairs, a biannual journal published at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs featuring original articles by leaders, policymakers and scholars. 

Dedicated to unifying and celebrating the Latinx community at Brown, Palomo is a violinist in Mariachi de Brown and previously served as the executive board leader of Latinas@Brown. 

Rhodes Scholars are chosen based on their academic records, as well as their leadership, personal qualities and demonstrated commitment to the betterment of society. Applicants are first endorsed by their college or university. This year, nearly 3,000 students sought their institution’s endorsement, with 865 ultimately endorsed by 243 different colleges and universities. Selection committees in each of 16 U.S. districts invite the strongest applicants for interviews, and each committee makes a final selection of two Rhodes Scholars from the candidates of the states within the district.

The 32 Rhodes Scholars chosen from the U.S. will join an international group of scholars chosen from more than 70 countries around the world. They will begin studies at Oxford in October 2025.

Palomo said she views immigration and diplomacy as lifelong pursuits and hopes to shape sustainable policies that address the root causes of migration and forced displacement long after she's earned her master's degrees at Oxford. 

“My hope is to contribute to fostering an understanding of immigration as the deeply human practice that it is," Palomo said. "Remaining community-oriented is critical to me — honoring my commitment to my community through this work.”