Olivier Jarda, Rhodes Scholar!

Congratulations Olivier!

Olivier, who is my sister Eliza’s boyfriend, has just won a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University in England. The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and arguably the most prestigious fellowship in the world. Past Rhodes Scholars include Bill Clinton, Rex Murphy, and Kris Kristofferson, to name just a few.

This year, 80 students from around the world were awarded this honour. They were chosen based on high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership potential and physical vigor, among other attributes.

Right now, Olivier is finishing his degree at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, with a double major in Political Science and Economics and a minor in International Development Studies. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Saint Mary’s newspaper, a member of the Track and Field team, and this year was named a CIS All-Canadian. Last year he was the Vice President of the Saint Mary’s University Students Association (SMUSA) and has been involved in many other things on and off campus.

He is also the singer and bass player for the band Turnstiles, which completed a cross-country tour this summer.

At Oxford Olivier plans to study relationships between developed and developing countries in terms of foreign policy and nation building. Wow.

What an amazing accomplishment Olivier!