Meet Nayantara Arora  

Nayantara Arora, BS ’24 (neuroscience)
2024 Rhodes Scholar
2023 Phi Beta Kappa Key Scholar

In the spring of 2023, Nayantara Arora, a Clark Honors College senior majoring in neuroscience and minoring in chemistry and global health, was awarded the Phi Beta Kappa Key into Public Service Scholarship for 2023. ​ ​The URDS Impact Fund paid Arora’s Phi Beta Kappa membership fees.
 

“If my membership fee for Phi Beta Kappa had not been covered [by the URDS Impact Fund], I am not sure that I would have joined the Society, and thus wouldn’t have reaped the benefits of being part of that community. I think that being part of Phi Beta Kappa as a Public Service scholar has also been a way for me to leverage my experiences for the Rhodes Scholarship.”
 

In the fall of 2023, Arora became the first Duck in over 16 years to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship for graduate study at the University of Oxford. Through the URDS Impact Fund, donors covered the travel costs for the Rhodes Scholars’ final interviews conducted in Seattle, Washington.
 

"When I found out that I was a Rhodes Scholarship finalist, I was thrilled beyond words but immediately worried and anxious about hotel and travel arrangements. We were notified of our finalist status in the middle of midterms, and it felt overwhelming to have to shop around for affordable accommodation and transportation amidst exams and interview preparation. The URDS Impact Fund and the hard work of ODS Program Coordinator Jacy Bartlett greatly alleviated this burden and allowed me to be relaxed about the logistical aspect of preparation leading up to an interview. It felt like a godsend. I feel confident that because my logistics were taken care of, I was in a great mindset going into the Rhodes Scholarship interview, and that directly contributes to my selection as a Rhodes Scholar.”