Less than 48 hours after he learned he would not be a Rhodes Scholar, WashU senior Omar Abdelmoity hopped on a plane to interview for the equally prestigious — yet somehow more elusive — Marshall Scholarship. Only seven WashU students had been awarded the Marshall since its founding in 1953, compared to the university’s 30 Rhodes Scholars.
“I was, of course, disappointed when I didn’t get the Rhodes. I grew up playing competitive soccer and so yes, anything I go for, I try to win,” said Abdelmoity, who is majoring in biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. “But standing there before the Marshall committee, I wasn’t thinking about the Rhodes; I wasn’t thinking about the odds. I was just focused on telling my story and helping those who are too often overlooked by our health-care system.”
That story began in high school in Overland Park, Kan., where Abdelmoity developed an education program to prevent suicide among Black teenagers after two friends died by suicide. It continues today at WashU Medicine, where Abdelmoity is researching Alzheimer’s disease among individuals with Down’s syndrome.
His strategy worked; Abdelmoity got the scholarship. Next year, he will travel to the United Kingdom to earn an advanced degree in evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation at Oxford University and a second graduate degree in population health sciences at Cambridge University. In many ways, the Marshall Scholarship, which prioritizes a candidate’s “ambassadorial potential,” is a perfect fit for Abdelmoity, who already has collaborated with and presented to scientists around the globe.
“I don’t see this as a two-year opportunity, but the start of a career-long collaboration with the organizations and community partners in the U.K.,” said Abdelmoity, who plans to attend medical school upon his return. “The Marshall also excites me because it brings together people who all are passionate about their respective fields to see how we can work together across boundaries.”