Zohar Atkins '10 was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship on Saturday, one of 32 United States winners named by the Rhodes Trust.
Atkins, who is concentrating in classics and Judaic studies and pursuing a simultaneous master's degree in history, said he plans to study philosophy and theology at the University of Oxford.
The selection committee announced the winners in front of other local finalists on Saturday night, culminating a months-long process that included receiving endorsement from the University and undergoing a series of interviews with selection committees, Atkins said.
"I just couldn't believe it," he said. "I just want to express how indebted I am to Brown for making this possible."
Atkins' award represents the second straight year in which a Brown student has won the prestigious honor. Rakim Brooks '09 was selected in 2008.
In addition to the American Rhodes Scholars, about 80 international winners from across the globe will attend Oxford for two or three years of study.
"It just seems surreal," Atkins said. "It's only now just beginning to sink in."
Atkins, a New Jersey native, said he could not have won the Rhodes without the support of his professors and deans who endorsed him and helped him prepare for his interviews.
"I just feel incredibly grateful," he said.
In addition to working on an honors thesis, Atkins also conducts two-hour weekly poetry workshops for inmates at the maximum-security Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institutes. "I don't see it as teaching so much as learning from the inmates," Atkins said.
Last spring, Atkins won the Elie Weisel Prize in Ethics from the writer's foundation for an essay titled, "The Duty of Cock-Eyed Angels."
According to a press release from the Rhodes Trust, 805 students received support from 326 colleges and universities across the country this year. Winners were selected based on "high academic achievement, integrity of character, a spirit of unselfishness, respect for others, potential for leadership and physical vigor," according to the release.
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