University of Alabama Student One of 32 in America to Get Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford

The University of Alabama is celebrating after a senior there was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship - just one of 32 American students to receive the honor this year.

The legendary scholarship is the oldest for international study and sends American graduates to the University of Oxford in England for a two- or three-year program of study first established in 1902 in the will of Cecil Rhodes.

The UA senior, Kate Herndon, is only the 17th student from the Capstone to earn the award.

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Herndon, a native of Newburyport, Massachusetts, is a senior University Honors Program student majoring in criminal justice and history with a concentration in legal history.

“I am thrilled to be a Rhodes Scholar and so excited to be a part of this vibrant community,” Herndon said in a release. “I look forward to expanding my studies at Oxford through an international lens with hands-on access to archives and resources pertaining to my work.”

Outside the classroom, Herndon is vice president of Alabama's exclusive XXXI female honor society and is a member of the Anderson Society, Omicron Delta Kappa and Mortar Board.

The press release announcing her achievement said Herndon is also a student ambassador for the Women and Gender Resource Center, director of the Student Government Association SAFE Center Committee and managing editor for the Capstone Journal of Law and Public Policy.

“Looking toward my future, I am excited to form a global community of peers and support as I seek answers to the problem of domestic violence,” said Herndon.

The University said Herndon has also previously won the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service and the John Fraser Ramsey Premier Award.