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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in front of passengers
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.