MAYOR GIULIANI CONGRATULATES URBAN FELLOW RACHEL SIMMONS FOR WINNING RHODES SCHOLARSHIP
URBAN FELLOW WINS FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIP TO OXFORD UNIVERSITY
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today congratulated Rachel Simmons for winning a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship which will enable her to complete graduate studies at Oxford University in England. Simmons, an Urban Fellow who has worked for the Deputy Mayor for Operations as a policy analyst since September, 1996, was one of two Rhodes winners from New York.
"I want to congratulate Rachel on winning a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship," Mayor Giuliani said. "The Rhodes considers many things in selecting its recipients: scholastic attainment, fondness for athletics, moral force of character to lead others and selflessness of person. Rachel has already demonstrated through her school work at Vassar College, through her volunteer work as an advocate, counselor and caseworker for battered women, and through her career work in the Mayor's Office on such projects as "Project Smart Schools" and the Finance Consolidation Project, that she is well-deserving of the scholarship. Rachel possesses the compassion to help others, the ability to solve problems and the capability to make a difference. She will no doubt have a major impact on society in the future.
The Mayor continued, "Whether she chooses a career as a counselor, a lawyer, or a U.S. Senator, she will follow many of society's great leaders who have won the Rhodes Scholarship and have continued on to make a difference. Congratulations to her and her family on this tremendous honor. I wish her the best of luck in attaining the Master of Philosophy in Politics at Oxford University and in her future pursuits to make the world a better place."
Rachel Simmons said, "I'd like to use the time at Oxford University to evaluate some of the work I have done in the Deputy Mayor for Operations' office from a theoretical perspective. Working here has been a great time spent in the laboratory. Now, I'd like to maximize the benefits of each experience in studying policy itself. In addition, there is a tendency for people out of college to be told your ideas won't hold water, but after working in this Administration, I can't think of an ideal that has not been maintained. I think I can continue to be an idealist about government."
Ms. Simmons graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Women's Studies in 1996. She graduated with a 3.8 grade point average. As an Urban Fellow working for Deputy Mayor of Operations Randy Mastro, Ms. Simmons served as a policy analyst and manager of time-sensitive special projects, including reengineering, consolidation and policy initiatives through coordinating City agencies. She also served as an analyst for a task force on technology integration in City schools, co-wrote a critical action plan for the Mayor's Office and the Schools Chancellor and acted as a point person for constituent issues.
This year's scholars were chosen from a group of 990 applicants from 314 colleges and universities in the United States. The 32 students chosen as American Rhodes Scholars for 1998 are organized by state into districts where the application was filed. The city provided by the candidate may be a hometown or college town. Applicants may apply either in their home state or the state where their school is located. Ms. Simmons was one of four winners from District Two, which included New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Pennsylvania. She was one of 13 female scholars selected.
Rhodes scholarships were established in 1904 by the estate of Cecil Rhodes, a British philanthropist and colonialist. The winners were announced Saturday, December 6th by the Rhodes Scholarship Trust at Pomona College in Claremont, California.
Contact Us | FAQs | Privacy Statement | Site Map