News Release

By MARY CATHERINE HENDRIX
UNC News Services

CHAPEL HILL -- Rachel Mazyck of Laurel, Md., a 2002 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has won a 2005 Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University in England.

Mazyck has an undergraduate degree in English with highest distinction from UNC and will graduate from Harvard University’s master’s program in education policy and management in June. She will use the scholarship to earn a doctorate of philosophy specializing in educational studies.

"The entire Carolina family is immensely proud of Rachel’s accomplishments and the honor she has brought upon her alma mater," said UNC Chancellor James Moeser. "As a Carolina student, she demonstrated exemplary leadership skills and achieved an academic record of distinction. I am particularly impressed by the efforts she has devoted to children and their future education since leaving Chapel Hill. Rachel has shown that she has a true gift for this important work, and we extend our best wishes for her future success."

Individuals up to age 24 may apply for the Rhodes Scholarship and must earn the endorsement of the university from which they graduated. Mazyck returned to UNC twice in the fall – once for her UNC Rhodes Scholarship interview – and has worked with UNC officials to prepare for the process.

"My goal is to work toward closing the achievement gap between minority and white students in the United States," said Mazyck. "The opportunity to study at Oxford will help me achieve this, but I also realize this comes with a great responsibility. I’m grateful to God, and to faculty, my family and friends who helped me through the process."

Mazyck’s dedication to helping children achieve led her to participate in the Teach for America program following graduation from UNC. Teach for America is a national service corps of recent college graduates who teach in low-income communities. Mazyck spent two years in Indianola, Miss., teaching fourth-graders.

She also displayed this dedication through extracurricular activities at UNC. An example is Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Leadership Day, a program she co-founded that brings more that 100 children to campus to participate in leadership-building activities.

"To know Rachel is to regard her with some awe; she inspires immediate respect and confidence in everyone who encounters her," said UNC English professor Dr. George Lensing, director of distinguished scholarships and coordinator of UNC’s Rhodes nominees.

"An inevitable leader by her warm, confident demeanor and clear-eyed focus, she commands immediate trust. Rachel will be a powerful force in helping to reshape American public education in the years ahead."

The daughter of Reggie and Donna Mazyck of Laurel, Mazyck entered college at the age of 16 and finished in three years. She came to UNC in 1999 on a Morehead Award, a full four-year scholarship modeled on the Rhodes. Mazyck, who was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, made the dean’s list all semesters at UNC.

Mazyck brings to 38 the number of Rhodes Scholars from UNC since the program began in 1902. Last November, senior Elizabeth Kistin of New Mexico was chosen for a Rhodes Scholarship, becoming the 14th UNC winner since 1980. Carolina ranks second among public universities in numbers of Rhodes Scholars produced.

Thirty-two Americans were chosen Saturday (Nov. 20) for the prestigious scholarships, created in the will of English statesman Cecil Rhodes. Originally, 904 students had been nominated by 341 colleges and universities nationwide.

The award pays all tuition, fees and living expenses for two years at Oxford, plus most travel expenses to and from the university. The scholarship will cover a third year at Oxford if it is needed for a student’s area of study. Its value varies by academic field but averages $35,000 per year.

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(Hendrix, of Durham, is a UNC senior double-majoring in psychology and journalism and mass communication.)

Note: A photo of Mazyck is available at http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/students/rhodes/2004/mazyck_rachel.jpg. More information on the Rhodes Scholarship – including the process and the 2005 recipients – is available at www.rhodesscholar.org.

UNC contact: Dr. George Lensing, 260-6302 (cell)

News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 (office), deborah_saine@unc.edu or 218-2380 (cell); or Lisa Katz, 638-0474 (cell)