Honors College

OU Medical Humanities Scholars program emphasizes interdisciplanary approach to premedical education

OU Daily feature

University of Oklahoma student Taylor Broadbent was recently named a finalist from the 2023 Rhodes Scholarship. The Rhodes funds graduate work at the University of Oxford. Last year, Broadbent won the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship.

Broadbent is a Letters and Pre-Law double major hailing from Moore, Oklahoma. She is a member of the Cherokee Nation. Broadbent is a recipient of the Cortez A.M. Ewing Public Service Fellowship, the Civic Engagement Fellowship, and the Distinguished Scholars Award. Broadbent's research includes analyzing the ways tribes of the Southern Great Plains address climate change.

Broadbent serves as the Chair of External Affairs for OU's Student Government Association, Legislative Director for the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature, Social Affairs Chair for the American Indian Student Association, and President of the Constitutional Studies Student Association. Broadbent participates in The Big Event, serves as the Affirmative Action Officer for the Cleveland County Democratic Party, and was the Organizer for the Norman City Council Debate in 2021.After graduating in Spring 2023, she plans to earn a law degree before embarking on a career in Federal Indian and Constitutional Law. She aspires to one day serve as a judge. 

The national scholarship competition is conducted by the Rhodes Trust, which was founded in 1902 to fund US citizens while pursuing degrees at Oxford University in Oxford, England.

From Moore, Oklahoma, Broadbent is the daughter of Jerry & Shahnna Broadbent. 

Congratulations, Taylor!

Senior Rachel Penner claimed the Outstanding Senior title for the Honors College. The Albuquerque native will be graduationg this December with a degree in Engineering Physics with a focus on Aerosoace Engineering. She has been an active member of the Honors College, participating in the Honors Mentorhip Program, FYRE, and the Informal Reading groups. She says her favorite Honors College memory is: "All the friends I made in the reading groups, particularly in The Thousand Doors of January group, and then being lucky enough to join my best friend in co-moderating my favorite book of all time, Lonesome Dove."

After graduation Ms. Penner plans to travel in Southeast Asia before starting a full-time position as an aerospace engineer at the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.

Megan Szymanski was awarded Outstanding Senior for the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences.She is graduating this spring with a dual degree in Biochemical Determinants of Health & Medicine and Letters, and a Business minor. The Oklahoma City native plans to attend medical school after graduation.

Angelora Castellano accepted the Outstanding Senior award in the David L. Boren College of International Studies. She hails from Atlanta, Georgia and will be graduating with a dual degree in International Studies and Classical Studies with a minor in Economics. After graduation she plans to attend graduate school to earn a master's degree in International Relations with an Economic Policy focus.

Aaron Reid received the prestigious title of overall Outstanding Senior for 2022. A native of Claremore, Oklahoma, Reid will graduate with a dual degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering and Letters. After graduation he plans to attend law school.