College of William and Mary student Kira Allmann ‘10 has been named a Rhodes Scholar, which will allow her to attend Oxford University next fall for two years of graduate study. She is the sixth student from the College to receive the honor.
Allmann is one of 32 people selected out of 800 nominees in the United States this year. Rhodes Scholarships have been awarded annually since 1904, with more than 7,000 people having been awarded the honor.
“I’m really excited to join this great intellectual community abroad,” Allmann said. “It’s really just a huge honor.”
Allmann, a Williamsburg native and a graduate of Lafayette High School, credits her success to the diverse nature of her experience at the College and the numerous opportunities she took advantage of to assert her leadership skills.
“[I have] diverse experience, ranging from research to volunteer work, meeting people and making cool connections that taught me a lot about myself,” Allmann said.
Allmann has been president of the College’s national political science honor society, Pi Sigma Alpha, a research assistant in the government and Arabic departments, and a Monroe Scholar. She has also devoted a significant amount of time her church and to the Wesley Foundation, and has studied at both the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Al-Akhawayn University in Morocco.
Allmann has spent time in Belgium working at NATO headquarters in the office of the public affairs advisor for the United States mission to NATO.
“[I did] everything from prepping a press packet twice a day for the ambassador to proofreading and researching for speeches,” Allmann said.
Allmann worked as webmaster for the United States NATO Facebook page and website, and also served as an advance for the ambassador and attended events with him. In addition, Allmann has prepared press highlights on United States mission activity.
“No two days were the same there,” Allmann said.
Allmann will commence a proposed program of study focusing on the modern Middle East in October. She is open to change, however, and plans on talking to the scholars at Oxford and Rhodes Trust.
“I can take all the insight I can get,” Allmann said.
Allmann plans on entering the United States foreign service or serving the United States government in some capacity.
The previous Rhodes Scholars from the College were Paul Larsen ’99, Eileen Cardillo ’99, Hans Ackerman ’97, Andrew Zawacki ’94 and J.R. Deshazo ’89.