UW–Madison senior was finalist for a 2026 Rhodes Scholarship

University of Wisconsin–Madison senior Zoe Kukla was a finalist this year for a Rhodes Scholarship, one of the most prestigious and selective academic honors in the world. 

The Rhodes Trust announced 32 winners on Nov. 15. An additional 238 American students were finalists for the coveted awards, including Kukla. 

Kukla, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is double-majoring in history and political science, with honors in the liberal arts and certificates in public policy and African American studies. She will complete her bachelor’s degree in May. 

Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for several years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Candidates are judged on a proven record of intellectual and academic achievement, integrity of character, interest in and respect for others, leadership ability, and the energy to fully utilize their talents. 

“Through scholarship, research and service, Zoe is developing the knowledge and skills to address critical problems in the world,” says UW–Madison interim Provost John Zumbrunnen. “Zoe’s commitment to the common good is inspiring and I look forward to following her career.” 

While completing her studies at UW–Madison, Kukla works as a science communicator for a study at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development on the effects of grouping English learners together on the students’ language and social development. It’s the latest in contributions to several organizations and research projects focused on literacy, childhood development and media access — a field in which she hoped to conduct research with a Rhodes Scholarship. 

Kukla served as an intern in the office of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, where her contributions were so successful that she earned a staff position as the office’s first digital community organizer. 

In 2024, she was awarded an Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service. On the dean’s list since 2022, Kukla has also won the Florence Waste Pulver Scholarship, Orson S. Morse Scholarship, Thomas W. Parker Scholarship and James J. Forsmo Scholarship at UW–Madison. 

Kukla was also a reporter, graphic artist and editor for The Daily Cardinal, where she was part of team that won a Wisconsin Newspaper Association silver award in March 2024 for breaking news. 

UW–Madison students have reached finalist stage for the Rhodes Scholarship 30 times in the last 20 years, and more than 30 UW–Madison students have won Rhodes Scholarships since the award was established in 1902.