Joanne Cave: Connor Edmin

Oxford University Dept: Starting this fall, Joanne Cave, Connor Edmin and Ayodele Odutayo will get an opportunity to pursue a degree at Oxford University. The Rhodes scholarship is considered one of the world s most prestigious and competitive academic awards and is given to 11 Canadians each year, according to The Star. Yet she went through the vigorous application process, which included six reference letters, a personal statement and an endorsement from the university. Originally from Edmonton, she applied through the Prairies division and flew out for a rigorous 40-minute interview in November and they will join the likes of the world s most influential intellects, writers and policy makers like Bill Clinton, Naomi Wolf and Bob Rae. But for three University of Toronto students who were named Rhodes Scholars for 2013, the news is still sinking in. That s why Cave hardly gave the program a thought through much of her undergraduate career. I never thought of Oxford as an option for me. It always seemed out of reach, said Cave, who is finishing up a degree in women and gender studies and sociology at the U of T. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.