Dearborn woman Yumna Dagher wins Rhodes Scholarship

Yumna Dagher is the thirty third College of Michigan graduate to win

• Yumna Dagher stated her highschool English trainer impressed her.
• She labored on a farm whereas attending the College of Michigan.

University of Michigan graduate Yumna Dagher has been named 2026 Rhodes scholar who can be current on the University of Oxford in England subsequent fall.

Dagher, 23, grew up in Dearborn and graduated from UM in Might with a double main in English and surroundings. She is one among 32 People to win the scholarship and UM’s thirty third winner.

The Rhodes Scholarship is taken into account one of the crucial aggressive and prestigious worldwide scholarships. Former President Invoice Clinton is among the many People who obtained it. Winners have been chosen from amongst 32 American winners 965 applicants rural.

Dagher credit Zeinab Chamian English trainer Fordson High Schoolfor sparking her love of studying and inspiring her to purpose excessive.

“I at all times give her credit score,” Dagher stated. “I feel she was the primary to inform me that I might go for issues that appeared greater than my means on the time.”

Dagher’s tutorial accolades started at Fordson, the place she obtained the excellence Brehm Scholarship.

Created by William Brehm, a Nineteen Forties Fordson graduate who earned a math diploma from UM earlier than embarking on a profitable enterprise profession, and his spouse, Delores. The scholarship is a four-year scholarship to UM Ann Arbor for high-achieving Fordson graduates.

At UM, Dagher had good grades, though she admits that others scored larger than her. Her senior thesis on inventive writing earned a campus award and her extracurricular actions have been an vital a part of her utility.

“I used to be particularly very concerned in meals methods work on campus,” Dagher stated. “I feel meals methods are the very first thing I actually acquired my tooth into they usually’ve at all times been an enormous ardour of mine.”

She labored on the UM campus farm and labored with pupil farmers within the refugee resettlement program. When she wasn’t designing a curriculum for refugee ladies and their youngsters, she acquired her palms soiled planting and harvesting crops.

“We did squash, we did cabbage, we did spinach, arugula, loads of quick rising greens and flowers,” she stated. “Flowers are nice as a result of individuals wish to deliver them into their properties.”

Dagher stated that after she graduated in Might, she knew she wished to go to graduate college and hoped to take action with a scholarship. After talking with advisors, she utilized for the grant and waited for the response. In August, she was invited for an interview on campus as a follow-up to the method.

“I obtained info that I had been chosen, that I had been nominated as a U of M nominee,” she stated. “I needed to get their approval somewhat bit earlier than I used to be added to the nationwide competitors.”

As soon as that was achieved, Dagher confronted off towards candidates from District 11, a grouping that features Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

The interview for that a part of the competitors was held on the Detroit Athletic Membership in downtown Detroit, a 15-minute drive from her dad and mom’ dwelling in Dearborn. Fifteen candidates have been invited to that utility course of. After being interviewed, they waited for the leads to an upstairs convention room.

“We simply performed board video games and talked to different finalists,” she stated. “I distinctly bear in mind watching the ‘Again to the Future’ trilogy on TV. So we have been sort of retaining observe of how lengthy we have been within the motion pictures, like what number of motion pictures had handed.”

Dagher stated the wait was nerve-wracking as a result of it lasted greater than three hours, and she or he thought-about going to her dad and mom’ home to attend for phrase.

“Then they got here in and my identify was introduced first and I used to be utterly shocked,” she stated. “I used to be excited.”

Dagher then texted her relations, who have been ready nervously at dwelling.

“They have been overjoyed,” she stated. “It was a complete blessing. They have been so supportive and affirming all through the entire course of. On the automotive experience dwelling with my dad, he stated, ‘I simply felt like I knew you have been going to get it.’ “

Dagher will research at Oxford for 2 years. In her junior yr, she plans to pursue a Grasp of Science diploma in nature, society and environmental administration.

“By that program, I hope to put in writing a dissertation that focuses on place-based resilience in cities like Detroit,” she stated.

In her second yr, she plans to deal with visible supplies and museum anthropology “in order that I can deliver this into the longer term environmental work I wish to pursue, in addition to deepen my very own analysis pursuits.”

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