KU nominates 5 students for Rhodes, Marshall scholarships

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas has endorsed applications for five students for prestigious fellowships for study in the United Kingdom.

Jesse Burbank, Abigail Fields, Shegufta Huma and Kevin Tenny are applying for the Marshall Scholarship; Huma, Tenny and John (Ike) Uri are also applying for the Rhodes Scholarship.

“To spend time with these students is inspirational and uplifting,” said Bryan Young, director of the KU Honors Program. “We have exceptional students at the University of Kansas, and we are fortunate to have the faculty and staff who are dedicated to their intellectual growth.”

Marshall Scholarships provide funding for graduate study at any university in the United Kingdom, while the Rhodes Scholarship provides expenses for one to three years of study at the University of Oxford in England.

Regional panels review applications for both scholarship programs. Finalists are invited to participate in interviews in November.

KU students have previously won nine Marshall and 26 Rhodes scholarships. The nomination process is coordinated by the Office of Fellowships & Scholarships in the University Honors Program.

Jesse Burbank is the son of Lt. Col. Jeffrey and Leslie Burbank of El Paso, Texas. Burbank is a triple major in economics, history and political science. Burbank's involvement at KU includes the Model UN, the Red Cross Club and the Student Senate Elections Commission. A member of the University Honors Program, he participated in the 2015 “London Review” Study Abroad program. During the past two summers, he interned in the office of Kansas State Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Abigail Fields is the daughter of Amy and Marko Fields of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fields is majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology and French.  A member of the University Honors Program and the Global Scholars Program, she has served as co-president of the campus environmental group Environs and a member of the campus Sustainability Leadership Board. Fields' interests lie in sustainable urban agriculture, and she has completed the Permaculture Design Certificate through the Kansas Permaculture Institute.

Shegufta Huma is the daughter of Mohammad Anwar and Anjuman Ara of Bel Aire. Huma is majoring in political science and minoring in Spanish. Huma's involvement at KU has included Student Senate, the Women of Color Collective, the Muslim Student Association and Margaret Amini Scholarship Hall. A member of the University Honors Program, she was also selected for the prestigious University Scholars Program in 2015. In spring 2016 she interned with Washington, D.C., with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Kevin Tenny is the son of Robert and Karen Tenny of Leawood. He is majoring in chemical engineering and has worked in the labs of Professor Michael Detamore and Professor Trung Nguyen at KU. In addition, he has completed two summer National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates programs at Iowa State University and at the University of South Carolina and a third internship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research goals are focused on electrochemical engineering. He is a member of the KU Student Senate. A member of the University Honors Program, he has received KU certifications in Service Learning, the Global Awareness Program and the Research Experience Program. In 2016, he was named a Goldwater Scholar.

John (Ike) Uri is the son of Larry and Therese Uri of Concordia. Uri is majoring in sociology with minors in economics, philosophy and Russian business communication. Uri's involvement at KU includes serving as the executive director of the Center for Community Outreach and as a volunteer coordinator for the Plymouth Language Program. He has worked as a research assistant for the DeBruce Foundation in Kansas City and has served as a regular contributor to the Midwest Voices panel in The Kansas City Star. A member of the University Honors Program, he was also selected for the prestigious University Scholars Program in 2015.