Sask. student wins Rhodes Scholarship

A University of Saskatchewan (U of S) student has won a Rhodes scholarship to study at the University of Oxford in England.

Cassidy Serhienko is one of only 11 recipients in Canada, according to a U of S news release.

She will pursue a Master’s in English Literature and focus on contemporary feminist writing.

“It still hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Serhienko said in the news release.

“I’d heard of the scholarship before; it gets references on TV shows and stuff like that all the time,” she said.

Serhienko earned her Bachelor of Education degree in 2021 and is currently finishing her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English.

“I looked up more specifics about the program after the information session, and I knew that I wanted to apply for it when I was finished my English honours degree because I would want to study for my Master’s in English Literature if I got the scholarship.”

During her time at the U of S, she served as a peer mentor in the College of Education and was part of a research team that was transcribing The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

“Education was where my interests were, and then I got to take a lot of university English classes as part of the curriculum,” said Serhienko.

“I just love the atmosphere of English because I think it can seem like a more solitary discipline than some of the others, because you’re doing pretty much all your research on your own with a book, but it’s very collaborative. It’s like an ongoing conversation and I’ve always found that very interesting and exciting.”

She said she hopes to become a university professor in the future.

The Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford is the oldest graduate scholarship offered and among the most prestigious, the U of S release said. The scholarship will cover tuition, fees and provide a stipend for living expenses.

“Congratulations to Cassidy Serhienko, USask’s newest recipient of the Rhodes Scholarship,” said Dr. Airini, USask’s provost and vice-president academic. “The Rhodes Scholarship is one of the most prestigious student awards in the world. Outstanding students like Cassidy Serhienko exemplify the aspirations outlined in the University Plan 2025, including Distinguished Learners and Global Recognition, and further illuminate USask’s goal of being the university the world needs.”

Serhienko is among 72 U of S students that have been awarded the scholarship since 1907.