A journey from Te Herenga Waka to Rhodes Scholar at Oxford
Isabella Lenihan-Ikin, a 2019 graduate from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, reflects on her experiences as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford and encourages students to consider applying.
Isabella was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 2019 for four years of post-graduate study at the University of Oxford. Now speaking five years later, Isabella reflects on her journey to the UK and the motivations behind her research. She encourages more Kiwi students to consider applying for the Rhodes Scholarship, one of the oldest and most prestigious scholarly awards in the world. It is awarded based on academic merit, community involvement, and personal character. Each year, 100 people from throughout the world are made Rhodes Scholars—including three New Zealanders.
Isabella began her studies at Ngā Puna o Waiorea Western Springs College in Auckland, before moving to Wellington to study a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Bioscience and a Bachelor of Laws at Te Herenga Waka. She then completed an Honours year in Geography, investigating the health impacts of climate change. Rather than focusing specifically on scientific or social aspects of research, Isabella has found her niche working at the junction of the two. She attributes some of her current approach to the range of ideas she was able to explore through the flexible study options at Victoria University of Wellington.
“It was that combination of Science and Law that enabled me to see things from an intersectional and intersectoral lens, which I think is incredibly important when thinking about an issue like climate change.”
Isabella was also heavily involved in student life and advocacy at the University, as Academic Vice President of VUWSA, a student representative on the Student Council, and Vice President of the Feminist Law Society. She was also the National President of the NZ Union of Students’ Associations in 2020. She thinks back to her times at Victoria University of Wellington with fondness, mentioning specifically the skills and values the University gave her.
“I feel so grateful to have done my undergraduate degree at Victoria University of Wellington and I genuinely feel we have access to world-class educators and a world-class learning environment.
"I think that any student at the University who then goes on to an international and top-ranked university is well prepared to be able to contribute in those environments, and I mean that with sincerity because I think we’re encouraged to think, to be critical, to collaborate, and develop our interpersonal skills through our education.
“The other thing the University fostered is a sense of social justice. It was a really formative time in developing my sense of justice, my outlook in the world and the kind of issues that I want to contribute to. Most importantly, I think it developed the way I want to work alongside other people and helped to organise and build community to try and solve some of the pressing issues that we face.”
At Oxford, Isabella studied for a Master of Science in International Health and Tropical Medicine. The motivation for this stems from the combination of her involvement in climate activism and conversations she had with her mum and aunty, who are both nurses. Viewing climate change as a health concern can help to humanise the issue, Isabella says.
“I think that health can be a useful organising tool with regard to action on climate change. The complexity and scale of climate change can make it seem really abstract and impossible to solve. What can be useful about seeing climate change as fundamentally a health issue, for both planetary and human health, is that it what is going to be good for our health goes hand and hand with what's good for the climate, and vice versa.”
Even after finishing her Master’s degree, Isabella says her academic ‘itch’ still hadn’t been scratched, so she applied for her PhD, also at Oxford, through the Rhodes Scholarship.
“I still had fire in my belly to delve a little deeper, and so my doctoral thesis looks at the impacts that climate change will have on the health of workers in New Zealand.”
A common theme that comes up in conversations with Isabella is her humility and appreciation of where she has come from. While Isabella’s PhD will be conducted through the University of Oxford, she will be coming back to Aotearoa to do her research.
“As Tangata Tiriti, I feel very fortunate to call Aotearoa my home. It's the context I know well and the place where I feel I have the most ability to contribute. As a country we have a real opportunity, both in terms of what's happening in the climate space, and in the health space to ensure that we use this as an opportunity to both mitigate the effects of climate change and protect people's health.
“Being in an environment that is unfamiliar, in a place where you're interacting with people from all over the world who come from entirely different backgrounds and who have entirely different experiences to you, you learn so much about yourself and about the place where you're from. I've had the opportunity to think about those ideas and I think I've learned more about Aotearoa than I ever have in this short space of time.
“Over here, I think I’ve seen how we are all so interconnected as people around the world, that we have to always be thinking about others who need our solidarity and support. We are all living on this one planet and all have a responsibility to protect it. For those of us in countries like New Zealand, where we have the means to stand in solidarity in meaningful and tangible ways, I think that we really need to.”
Each year, New Zealanders aged 18–24 are eligible to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship, but many don’t know what the Scholarship is, or think they don’t have a chance of being accepted. Isabella encourages everyone to consider applying—she took more away from the experience than just the opportunity to attend Oxford.
“I wanted to learn about myself through the application process and come out having a stronger idea of that, irrespective of whether I got the scholarship or not. I honestly think it was one of the most helpful things that I’ve ever done.”
Isabella acknowledges that often we get ‘imposter syndrome’, or a feeling that we don’t deserve to achieve well or are not good enough to put ourselves forward for an opportunity. She believes that anyone considering applying for the Rhodes Scholarship should harness that feeling.
“If that's the first thing you think about, I think you're the person that should apply, because you're introspective, self-reflective and think about your position in the world in relation to others.
“The last thing I would add is that there might be a picture of what a Rhodes Scholar is or must be, but there are so many different versions of a Rhodes Scholar. You shouldn’t think: 'I need to change who I am in order to try and get the scholarship’ because you are enough, and your identity and all that you bring is what will make you a great Rhodes Scholar. Anyone who thinks that they should apply should definitely apply.”
Students who are interested in applying for the Rhodes scholarship can find more information on the Universities New Zealand website. Before submitting their application, students are also strongly encouraged to contact the University’s Rhodes Adviser—Professor Chris Bumby (chris.bumby@vuw.ac.nz) for further support and advice.