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Michigan State University has nominated four undergraduate students and two alumni for the U.S. Rhodes Scholarship, with one current student and two alumni from the College of Social Science being represented among the nominees. Jerome Hamilton is a 2025 graduate, while Kaylin Casper crossed the stage in spring of 2026. Lily Dixon is in her fourth year of undergraduate study.
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 November.
MSU has produced 20 Rhodes Scholars to date. Casper was also a nominee for the College of Social Science last year alongside Kierra Jursch.
Two of the College of Social Science nominees, Hamilton and Casper, were also members of the Social Science Scholars Program, an undergraduate mentorship and enrichment program offered to a select group of high-achieving Social Science students. Also a current Scholar is nominee Eleanor Pugh, who is earning a minor in economics through the College of Social Science in addition to majoring in international relations and Russian.
Casper, Dixon, Hamilton and Pugh were also announced as nominees for the Marshall Scholarship earlier this week.
Read more about each College of Social Science nominee below:
Kaylin Casper is a 2026 Honors College alumna with majors in sociology through the College of Social Science, and humanities pre-law through the College of Arts and Letters, as well as an additional major in women’s and gender studies. Casper is from Burbank, California, and attended John Burroughs High School.
Lily Dixon is a fourth-year Honors College student majoring in public policy through the College of Social Science and arts and humanities through the College of Arts and Letters. Dixon is from Marquette, Michigan, and attended Marquette High School.
Jerome Hamilton is a 2025 Honors College alumnus with a major in political science through the College of Social Science. Hamilton is from Baltimore, Maryland, and attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.
Other MSU nominees include:
Anastasia Breen, a fourth-year Honors College student majoring in international relations through James Madison College and theatre through the College of Arts and Letters. Breen is from Bay City, Michigan, and attended John Glenn High School.
Eleanor Pugh*, a fourth-year Honors College student majoring in international relations through James Madison College and Russian through the College of Arts and Letters. Pugh is from Bethesda, Maryland, and attended Walt Whitman High School.
Ashlin Stover, a fourth-year student majoring in international relations through James Madison College. Stover is from Northville, Michigan, and attended Northville High School.
*= economics minor.
Please contact Melanie Brender @brenderm@msu.edu for media inquiries.