NEWS
NORMAN, Okla. – Three students from the University of Oklahoma were named finalists for Rhodes scholarships this fall, highlighting their leadership qualities and achievements in and out of the classroom.
Mohamed Elgouhari, a senior majoring in biology and economics, Anna Hyslop, a senior majoring in economics and global energy, environment and resources, and Joseph Mathew, a senior majoring in vocal performance, were all shortlisted as Rhodes finalists.
Established in 1902 by the Rhodes Trust, based at the University of Oxford, the Rhodes Scholarship is among the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship awards.
Mohamed Elgouhari
Elgouhari is a student in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences and the Honors College. As a former OU wrestler, he credits his athletic experiences with shaping his interest in healthcare and highlights how physical wellbeing can shape one’s identity. Elgouhari was named a finalist in last spring’s SEC Start Up competition for Gametime Rehab, a mobile app which aims to make injury recovery more engaging and successful for athletes.
“I’m driven by the belief that we can design care that is more human, more effective and more focused on helping people truly heal rather than simply move through a process,” Elgouhari said.
Elgouhari serves as the president of OU’s Muslim Student Association, which he points to as a valuable experience in building community. He also said his connections to Startup OU and OU Athletics, along with the university’s supportive culture, have helped him thrive as an undergraduate student eyeing medical school.
“OU gave me space to grow, to make mistakes, to build things in the real world, and to form relationships that I’ll carry with me for life,” Elgouhari said.
Anna Hyslop
Hyslop is a student in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences, the David L. Boren College of International Studies and the Honors College. Earlier this year, she was named a 2025 Truman Scholar for her academic success, leadership potential and commitment to a public service career. She is also a recipient of a Udall Scholarship and a Rachel Carson National Environment Leadership Fellowship, underscoring her passion for addressing environmental issues.
“My work on climate change has driven me towards pursuing a career in energy policy and regulation, but I plan on branching out to different areas of study as a future law student,” Hyslop said.
Hyslop has interned with the U.S. Department of Energy, the White House Council of Economic Advisers and the Brookings Institution. At the University of Oklahoma, she founded the policy-writing organization Students for Local Action and served as editor-in-chief of the Local Action Journal.
“OU gave me the space to explore my interests fully, an experience that has ultimately made me a more effective agent of change,” Hyslop said.
Joseph Mathew
Mathew is a student in the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts and the Honors College. His passions for music and medicine have led him to co-found and co-chair OU Music Outreach, which brings musical performances to places such as hospitals and care centers. As a vocalist, Mathew earned a national championship in the 2025 Robert Hansen Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition.
“Music motivates me because it reaches the emotional and psychological dimensions of healing that medicine alone can’t always reach,” Mathew said.
Mathew plans to enter medical school and eventually specialize in vocal cord surgery, while also aiming to support music-based care in health systems through his career. He said the Honors College’s Medical Humanities Scholars Program has expanded his understanding of medicine as a human-centered practice that recognizes how illness can affect one’s identity and their surrounding community.
“OU has shaped my future by giving me space to explore more than one identity at once: singer, advocate and future physician. I’ve been surrounded by professors who never asked me to choose between music and medicine but helped me build a path that blends them,” Mathew said.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
Robin Zape-tah-hol-ah Starr Minthorn (Kiowa), professor and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the University of Oklahoma Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, has been elected president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) — becoming the first Indigenous person to hold this role in the organization’s history.
A new study from the University of Oklahoma suggests that small genetic differences in two proteins – previously known for their role in premature infants’ lungs – may also influence how their eyes develop, potentially affecting the risk of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
University of Oklahoma researcher Elizabeth Wellberg, Ph.D., is the senior author of a review article in The Journal of Clinical Investigation that gathers current research evidence about the effects of GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic and Zepbound, on cancer risk.
