Four from MIT awarded 2026 Rhodes Scholarships
Alice Hall ’26: “I am so grateful that MIT makes it so easy to have such unique experiences”
For the second year in a row, four MIT students and alumni have been named Rhodes Scholars-Elect. Vivian Chinoda ’25, Alice Hall ’26, Sofia Lara ’26, and Sophia Wang ’24, the recipients of this prestigious award, will pursue their diverse interests through postgraduate studies at Oxford University starting in fall 2026.
Kim Benard, the Associate Dean and Director of Distinguished Fellowships and Academic Excellence, wrote to The Tech that this year’s winners demonstrated a commitment to combining technical innovation with “policy, leadership, and entrepreneurial dissemination.” Throughout the application process, Benard has aided applicants, finalists, and ultimately, the Rhodes Scholars-Elect. She is supported by the Distinguished Fellowships team at the Career Advising and Professional Development Center, along with Professors Nancy Kanwisher and Taylor Perron of the Presidential Committee on Distinguished Fellowships.
Chinoda, who graduated this spring with a degree in business analytics (Course 15-2), plans to pursue dual masters degrees in social data science and public policy at Oxford. She says that taking Professor Karilyn Crockett’s course Making Public Policy sparked a long-term passion for evidence-based policymaking, and that Oxford was one of the few universities that suited Chinoda’s interdisciplinary approach. She believes that the Rhodes Scholarship will allow her to be “sharpened by others” and “do the same in return.”
Hall, a chemical engineering (Course 10) major and the current president of the Undergraduate Association, hopes to ultimately address climate change through international action. At Oxford, she will earn a DPhil in engineering with a concentration in sustainable heating and cooling techniques. Hall emphasized the support she has received from communities across the Institute. “I am so grateful that MIT makes it so easy to have such unique experiences,” she said.
Lara, who is majoring in biological engineering (Course 20), cited her background as a “Latina from the San Fernando Valley” in California in shaping her approach to equitable precision medicine for women’s health. She will earn a DPhil in clinical medicine as a Rhodes Scholar. Lara advised future applicants to aim for “greatness and mastery in all that you do” without losing sight of their ethical commitments.
Benard wrote, “Our goal is to help students try to be their best selves,” and all Scholars-Elect who wrote to The Tech credited Benard for her deep commitment to all applicants. Lara highlighted Benard’s emphasis on “authentically” and “unapologetically” communicating one’s values. Hall, who called Benard “my rock,” said, “When I was finally able to call her with the good news, I think I told her this was her award.”