Regional scholar passionate about gender studies

Alyssa Mohammed is the Commonwealth Caribbean Rhodes Scholar for 2023.

This announcement was made on Tuesday from State House in Barbados after a full day of interviews with 11 candidates from across the Caribbean, who were vying for the prestigious scholarship. Four of the candidates interviewed hailed from Grenada, two each from Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados and one each from the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda and St Lucia.

Mohammed, a Trinidadian, is planning on heading to Oxford University next October to work towards her Master of Science in Sociology.

Speaking to the media after the announcement, a visibly emotional Mohammed said that she was extremely pleased to get the scholarship. She aims to continue her studies in the much needed area of gender issues.

“I am very passionate about our social situation here. My heart is with the gender issues in Caribbean. It’s nothing new to us. We know about the violence, we know about the sexual assault. I have a long history of working with women organising in Trinidad and a bit regionally.

“I am excited [about] what the macro perspective of Oxford education in sociology would be able to bring, not only to me personally, but what I will be able to give back to the Caribbean community.”

She added: “It feels amazing. It’s such an honour, and I can’t wait to give back to my Caribbean community and to our women.”

The selection committee was chaired this year by Her Excellency, The Most Honourable, Dame Sandra Mason, President of Barbados, with other members including former Rhodes Scholars and Professor Rhoda Reddock, retired Deputy Principal of the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies. Bertha Pilgrim served as Secretary of the Committee. Other members of the committee are: Professor Evelyn O’Callaghan, Peter Goldson, Sir Marston Gibson and Dr. Cheikh Mbengue.

The Rhodes Scholar-elect will be heading to Oxford University in October 2023 to join a cohort of more than 100 Scholars from around the world to undertake fully-sponsored post-graduate studies.

The Rhodes Scholarship is the world’s preeminent and oldest graduate fellowship and has been based at the University of Oxford since 1903. Students from anywhere in the world are able to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship. (SB)