KU senior is a finalist for Rhodes, Marshall scholarships

LAWRENCE — A senior at the University of Kansas has advanced in the competition for prestigious scholarships for study in the United Kingdom.

Laura Phillips, of Perry, is a finalist for both the Rhodes Scholarship and the Marshall Scholarship. She is majoring in classical languages and ecology, evolution & organismal biology.

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

Finalists for the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships are invited to participate in interviews later this month. This year, all interviews will be held remotely. Final determinations of scholarship recipients will be determined following the completion of the interviews.

The Office of Fellowships, a unit of Academic Success, coordinates KU's endorsement process and supports candidates through the application process. Students interested in applying for these awards in future years are encouraged to contact the office by email at fellowships@ku.edu. Depending on other eligibility requirements, students may apply for these awards as seniors or recent graduates.

KU students have previously won nine Marshall Scholarships and 27 Rhodes Scholarships.

Laura Phillips is the daughter of Jean Phillips and Steve Phillips. A graduate of Free State High School, Phillips has been a coordinator at the Center for Community Outreach for the Earth program since her freshman year. Phillips focuses on sustainable gardening and food security within the program. She has also worked for the Kansas Trails Council to help build and publicize hiking trails, with a focus on conservation and sustainable trail building. Phillips has spent several summers in the Rocky Mountains at Philmont Scout Ranch, working on fire rehabilitation and forestry management, and leading backpacking treks for high schoolers interested in ecology. She has worked at the KU Monarch Watch Lab and conducts sustainable agriculture research with Maggie Wagner, assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology. In April, she received an honorable mention from the Udall Foundation. This summer, she served as an intern for Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health.