By Anneliese Mackel
Michigan State University student Caroline (Colby) Orcutt has been named a finalist for the U.S. Rhodes Scholarship.
The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and perhaps most prestigious international scholarship program, enabling outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford. It is offered in 25 constituencies, which represent over 60 countries. MSU has produced 20 Rhodes Scholars to date.
Orcutt is a fourth-year Honors College student majoring in Kinesiology in the College of Education. She was a team captain for the MSU women’s varsity rowing team and will be the Cadet Wing Commander for MSU’s Airforce ROTC (AFROTC) Detachment 380 next semester.
At MSU, Orcutt has served as a research assistant in the Department of Kinesiology with Dr. Rajiv Ranganathan on a project focusing on biomechanics motion detection software. She has also worked with Dr. Ashley Triplett on a research project focusing on anatomical systems affected by cystic fibrosis.
For the past four years, Orcutt has served as a volunteer for the MSU Athletic Department, a youth leader for her church in Florida, and a student-athlete volunteer for Joe’s Kids, an organization that serves underprivileged youth in Lansing, Mich. Continuing her commitment to leadership and service, she works as the lead training volunteer at the pediatric/pediatric intensive care unit at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Mich., and serves as a medic/safety officer for the MSU AFROTC Det 380.
Orcutt’s career goals are “to serve as an Air Force physician on a Special Operations Surgical Team and later work with Doctors without Borders.” At the University of Oxford, she plans to pursue an MSc in Translational Health Sciences for the first year, and an MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine for the second year.
Orcutt is from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and attended Fort Walton Beach High School.