Sabah Sial, BS ’22 heads to Oxford as the first Rhodes Scholar from the U in two decades—thanks to dedication, hard work, and scholarship support from people like you.

Last year, Sabah Sial, BS ’22 received a Rhodes Scholarship to study finance at the University of Oxford, one of 32 awardees out of 2,300 students who applied. The last student from the University of Utah to receive the prestigious award was in 2002.

“Being a Rhodes Scholar is a great honor, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the scholarships that preceded it,” Sial said. “The University of Utah, its faculty, and my fellow students helped me to find my voice.”

Your support helps students like Sial to explore their passions and add their unique experiences and voices to the world.

Sial’s devotion to standing up for what’s right informs her future pursuits. She credits Sylvia Torti, dean of the Honors College, and L. Jackson Newell, professor emeritus, for helping spark the idea to apply.

“Both of them have a knack for seeing students, recognizing their passions and then connecting them with resources to make those passions a reality,” Sial said. “Newell really believed in what I wanted to do with my life, and saw opportunities before I even saw them myself.”

Sial also contributed significantly to campus life. She served as chief justice for the Associated Students’ Supreme Court. Prolific in her advocacy, she worked to diversify the curriculum at the Honors College and, as a presidential intern, co-designed the SafeU Ambassador program, which gives students a voice in the Chief Safety Office.

Sial plans to bring all of these experiences to her studies abroad. “The study of business is more than money, it’s about how we are interconnected. Studying finance at the U helped me to find a role in power structures where I could make a positive change.”

Help current and future students follow Sabah Sial to use their education to make a positive change in the world.