Two Social Scientists nominated for Rhodes Scholarship

October 2, 2025 - Michigan State University

Two College of Social Science students have been named nominees for the Rhodes Scholarship. The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and perhaps most prestigious international scholarship program, enabling outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford. Thirty-two U.S. Rhodes Scholarships are awarded annually.

The results of this competition will be determined in the coming months. MSU has produced 20 Rhodes Scholars to date.

The College of Social Science nominees for the U.S. Rhodes Scholarship are: 

• Kaylin Casper, an Honors College fourth-year student majoring in sociology through the College of Social Science and humanities pre-law through the College of Arts and Letters. Casper is from Burbank, California, and attended John Burroughs High School. 
• Kierra Jursch, an Honors College fourth-year student majoring in biology through Lyman Briggs College and psychology in the College of Social Science. Jursch is from Gladstone, Michigan, and attended Gladstone Area High School. 

Other MSU nominees include: 

• Elena Forman, an Honors College fourth-year student majoring in arts and humanities through the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities and digital storytelling through the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. Forman is from East Lansing, Michigan, and attended East Lansing High School. 
• Isabelle Radakovich, an Honors College fourth-year student majoring in international relations as well as political theory and constitutional democracy in James Madison College and French through the College of Arts and Letters. Radakovich is from Cody, Wyoming, and attended Cody High School.