Dillon Muhly-Alexander (17) is WVU's first Gates Cambridge Scholarship finalist.
Dillon Muhly-Alexander, a 2017 West Virginia University graduate, has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship, an award that funds graduate study at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Muhly-Alexander, who was also a Rhodes finalist in 2017, is WVU’s first Gates Cambridge finalist.
Muhly-Alexander is currently serving in a one-year position as an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer in the Honors College where he assists with program development relating to increasing education accessibility for first-generation and low-income students.
Gates Cambridge Scholars represent the world’s best and brightest young leaders committed to improving the lives of others. Applicants must be accepted to University of Cambridge in order to be eligible. He has been accepted into the masters of philosophy in development studies program and will interview for the scholarship in Seattle on Jan. 27.
“Gates Cambridge is one of the world’s most prestigious awards and is on par with the Rhodes and British Marshall Scholarships,” said Amy Cyphert, director of ASPIRE. “We are thrilled that WVU has our first ever Gates Cambridge finalist and even more thrilled that it is Dillon; he exemplifies the criteria they look for – academic excellence, leadership potential, and a commitment to improving the lives of others. No matter the outcome of his interview next week, we know that Dillon is the type of rising leader that our state needs and we are so very proud of him.”
Muhly-Alexander, a native of West Union in Doddridge County, graduated from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences with a degree in international studies. As an incoming student, Dillon was awarded the Foundation Scholarship in recognition of his academic and leadership promise and was a member of the Honors College. While on campus, he conducted undergraduate research with WVU’s FoodLink, and held several leadership positions in student organizations, including president of the WVU Young Democrats and president of the student chapter of WVU’s Our Children, Our Future. In 2015, he was selected for the Herndon Fellowship, which included serving as an intern in the West Virginia Legislature for a semester. He later was an intern in the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office. He was awarded the Order of Augusta, which recognizes the top eight graduating seniors out of a class of 4,500. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition.
His interest in development studies was sparked by his work in his home state and also by studying international development on four faculty-led trips in Nicaragua, The Netherlands, Timor-Leste and Rwanda.
“I am very excited to represent WVU as a Gates Cambridge Scholar finalist. I’m lucky to have such a strong group of friends and mentors that have helped me at every step in this process,” Muhly-Alexander said. “Studying development at Cambridge will help equip me with the education I need to best serve West Virginia when I return.”
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship was established in 2000 with a $210 million donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge. The purpose of the Gates Cambridge program is to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others. They select 90 scholars each year, including 40 from the United States. They report approximately 4500 students apply and only 100 are selected to interview for 40 U.S. spots.
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CONTACT: Amy Cyphert, director, WVU ASPIRE
aspire@mail.wvu.edu; 304.293.4836