Four Tulane students named as Finalists for 2023 Scholarships

Four Tulane students were recently named as Finalists for various 2023 scholarships.

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During summer 2022, eleven ambitious NTC students and alumni worked closely with the Office of Fellowship Advising (OFA) to pursue exceedingly competitive awards: the Marshall, Rhodes and Schwarzman Scholarships. After developing their personal and academic narratives and honing them into compelling applications, three applicants were named finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship, one was named a finalist for the Marshall Scholarship, and one recognized as a finalist for the Schwarzman Scholarship. Although our finalists were not selected as recipients, it is noteworthy that the College had four students recognized as finalists for these prestigious awards for their outstanding academic performance, demonstrated leadership, and professional promise.

In September 2022, Five Tulanians submitted applications for the Rhodes Scholarship, which offers 2-3 years of fully funded study at the University of Oxford. Three of Tulane’s candidates were named finalists and invited for interviews this past November: Sahil Inaganti (Class of 2023), Humzah Kahn (Class of 2020), and Henry Walther (Class of 2020).

Eight Tulanians applied for the Marshall Scholarship, which provides funding for two-three years of study at most universities in the UK. The Marshall Scholarship recognizes individuals for their potential to become leaders in their fields of study while serving to strengthen the bonds between the US and the UK throughout their careers. Sahil Inaganti (Class of 2023) was named a finalist and invited to interview for this incredibly generous award.

Zach Rubin (Class of 2023) applied to the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. This fully funded, one-year master’s in Global Affairs program focuses on leadership development, while aiming to create a better understanding of China and its place in 21st century. Zach was selected as a finalist, and recently interviewed for the opportunity.

The selection of the NTC applicants as finalists bears witness to their outstanding academic and intellectual abilities, their demonstrated commitment to serving our communities, and potential to make significant contributions as leaders in our country in the future. We applaud their accomplishments and are confident they will continue making meaningful contributions as professionals in their fields and as engaged citizens.

Sahil Inaganti is a senior majoring in Environmental Studies, Public Health, and Political Economy. Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Sahil is passionate about addressing climate change and environmental justice issues. In his time at Tulane, he has interned at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, the Alliance for Affordable Energy, and served as a research assistant examining environmental issues across Louisiana. On campus, he co-founded the Student Divestment Committee, the Health Equity Fellowship, and served as President of the School of Public Health Undergraduate Student Government. After graduation, Sahil plans to work in the renewable energy industry and continuing his environmental advocacy work.

"Through preparing my application, I was able to delve into the fundamental motivations of my personal and professional life. In my essays I discussed how being the son of Indian immigrants influenced how I viewed my obligation to the communities whose historical and contemporary oppression has enabled the economic growth of modern America from which my family has benefited. I also was able to examine how living in New Orleans and my hometown of Allentown, Pennsylvania affected how I viewed the importance of supporting communities that haven’t received the economic and political attention that they deserve." -Sahil

Humzah Khan, class of 2020, is a research associate for the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he supports the health security portfolio. Humzah joined CSIS as an intern with the Middle East Program. Prior to joining CSIS, Humzah designed a course on pre-hospital triage for a Jordanian nongovernmental organization and conducted research projects in Karachi, Pakistan, on human migration and in Mérida, Mexico, on Chagas Disease. He is fluent in Urdu and has advanced proficiency in Arabic and Persian. Humzah holds a BS in public health and Middle Eastern studies from Tulane University. Humzah’s longer term research interests lie in the evolving aspects of nonmilitary dimensions of security policy.

"It's obviously disappointing to lose. Nevertheless, being a finalist is a useful endorsement of the narrative I developed while working on the application. I knew applying for Rhodes was a longshot. So, I saw the application process as an opportunity to step out of my routine, day-to-day mode of thinking and introspectively assess what I have learned over the last few years and figure out what questions I need to answer over the next years." -Humzah 

Henry Walther is a graduate of Tulane University, class of 2020, where he double majored in Political Science and Social Policy & Practice and minored in Urban Studies. As an undergraduate, Henry served as the founder and two-term President of the College Democrats of Louisiana, an organization that advocated for progressive, pro-choice, climate-conscious policies. In the 2019 campaign season, the organization contacted over 65,000 voters. Henry also served as the Deputy Political Director for the College Democrats of America in the lead-up to the 2020 election. In his sophomore year of college, Henry began research into the biography of Moon Landrieu, former Mayor of New Orleans and HUD Secretary. Upon graduating from Tulane University, Henry stayed in New Orleans to serve as a Policy & Data Associate for a congressional campaign. Henry is now focused on connecting his ongoing historical work to present-day political struggles, particularly in the field of affordable housing. For the past year, he has worked for the City of New Orleans in the Mayor’s Neighborhood Engagement Office, where he now serves as the Director of Special Project.

"Applying for competitive scholarships is as much about the process as it is the result. Working with the Office of Fellowship Advising, I spent months revising essays and personal statements. This process forces you to reflect on your past and envision a potential future. I now better understand my career goals and which graduate programs are best prepared to get me there." -Henry

Zach Rubin is an Honors Student and Dean's Scholar at Tulane University. He is triple majoring in Business Management with a Certificate in Entrepreneurship, Architecture Design, and Asian Studies on a Chinese Language Track. Zach was the Co-Founder of Oh Shoot, a two-sided college-services marketplace company, and robust intercollegiate community network. In his third year at Tulane, Zach was elected as the President of the A.B. Freeman School of Business Student Government. He is currently a Teaching Assistant for Design & Society at the Tulane School of Architecture. He is writing his Honors Thesis on New Orleans's sustainable urban design, global green development, and prospective master plan implementation in the United States and Southeast Asian cities, specifically Singapore. Zach intends to research Southeast Asian countries and China's sustainable urban design and development history and efficient collaboration between public and private sector urban design practitioners. He likes to practice yoga, programming, designing and writing in his free time. Zach remains passionate and invigorated by international relations, urban policy and planning, and public affairs and desires to start, run, and operate a global sustainable urban design, planning, and architecture firm

"The Schwarzman Scholarship application experience gave me new direction in my professional and academic life and career aspirations and plans including why exactly I desire to live, study, and work in East and Southeast Asia and China and what my 5, 10, 15+ year career goals are and how I can and will attain them. Thank you to my recommenders, the Office of Fellowships Advising, my mentors, Professors, and advisors for guiding me throughout the Schwarzman Scholarship application process, I could not have made it as far as I did without you." -Zach

The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest international fellowship; Winners receive full funding for 2-3 years of post-graduate study at Oxford University. It is one of the most competitive awards available, with approximately 1000 U.S candidates endorsed annually by their universities to compete at the national level for only 32 awards available to U.S. citizens.

“While our candidates were not awarded the scholarship this year, we are incredibly proud of them. Their finalist status is recognition of great academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, and commitment to service. My colleague, Dr. Jennifer Beers, and I are thrilled for them, gratified to support them, and excited to see what they will accomplish as citizen-leaders and agents of change in the future.” -Dr. Thomas Spencer, Director of NTC Fellowship Advising

"While their professional paths and academic aspirations will lead them in different directions, Henry, Humzah, Sahil and Zach share an abiding concern for using their talents to improve the lives of others and for being unafraid to take risks to help them achieve their goals.  Their sustained engagement with the process of applying for prestigious awards as undergraduates and alumni reflects a natural extension of a Tulane education, which encourages intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, engaged citizenship and ethical leadership." - Dr. Jennifer Beers, Assistant Director of NTC Fellowship Advising

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