ANNAPOLIS, MD. - Midshipman 1st Class (senior) Sarah Skinner, 21, of Atlanta, was recently selected as the Naval Academy’s 54th Rhodes Scholar. Over 820 applicants were endorsed by 247 schools for one of the 32 scholarships awarded this year.
Skinner is an honors political science major, with a Chinese minor, at the U.S. Naval Academy. Her honors research is aimed at evaluating the overall effectiveness of middle power nations and middle power institutions in mitigating hegemonic competition and conflict between the U.S. and China. This past summer, she studied Taiwanese virtually through National Taiwan University.
Skinner is the 21st Company commander, the Navy Women’s Rugby team captain, and a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society. She has previously served as both the 21st Company drill sergeant and honor sergeant.
Skinner is a 2018 graduate of Marist School in Brookhaven, Georgia, and she plans to pursue a Master of Philosophy in international relations at Oxford University. After completing the Rhodes Scholarship program, Skinner will continue her naval service in the surface warfare community.
Rhodes Scholarships provide up to three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Rhodes Scholars are chosen based on high academic achievement, integrity of character, a spirit of unselfishness, respect for others, potential for leadership and physical vigor. The value of the Rhodes Scholarship varies depending on the academic field, the degree pursued, and the college chosen at Oxford. The Rhodes Trust pays all college and university fees, and transportation to and from England.
Founded in 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy today is a prestigious four-year service academy that prepares midshipmen morally, mentally and physically to be professional officers in the naval service. More than 4,400 men and women representing every state in the U.S. and several foreign countries make up the student body, known as the Brigade of Midshipmen. U.S. News and World Reports has recognized the Naval Academy as a top five undergraduate engineering school and a top 20 best liberal arts college. Midshipmen learn from military and civilian instructors and participate in intercollegiate varsity sports and extracurricular activities. They also study subjects such as leadership, ethics, small arms, drill, seamanship and navigation, tactics, naval engineering and weapons, cyber security, and military law. Upon graduation, midshipmen earn a Bachelor of Science degree in a choice of 25 different subject majors and go on to serve at least five years of exciting and rewarding service as commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps.
For more information on the Rhodes Scholars, visit http://www.rhodesscholar.org;
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