Ugandan wins Rhodes scholarship at Oxford University

Elliot F. Gerson, American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust announced names of the 32 American men and women chosen as Rhodes Scholars representing the United States.

 Among them is Jessica Wamala (Milford, N.H.) who became the third Villanova University student-athlete in the institution’s history to receive the prestigious Rhodes scholarship.

Wamala is a daughter of Dr. Nabatanzi Lugudde Katwe, a former presidential aide and former Luweero district MP contestant.

Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England, and may allow funding in some instances for four years.

Wamala graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in May 2013, with majors in political science, Arab and Islamic studies, and global interdisciplinary studies. She is now pursuing a M.A. in political science at Villanova.

Committed to addressing social issues, Wamala has learned first-hand about diplomacy as a Rangel Scholar and political intern at the US Embassy Belgrade in Serbia and at the State Department Office’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

 She has received numerous awards for her scholarship and leadership including the 2012 Harry S. Truman Scholarship and the Pamela Harriman Foreign Service Fellowship, and she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa – the National Honors Fraternity for Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences.