… Taylor McGraw interviews on Nov. 18-19
As an 8-year-old, Taylor McGraw taped a list of life goals to his bedroom door so he could see them every day. Winning a Rhodes Scholarship was on that list, and McGraw stands just one step away from achieving that goal.
The University of Mississippi senior goes to St. Louis later this week to interview as a Rhodes finalist and will learn Saturday (Nov. 19) whether he is selected for one of the prestigious scholarships. A public policy major in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Lott Leadership Institute, McGraw said he was very excited when he heard the news.
“I wouldn’t have this opportunity without the tremendous support from the university and especially the Honors College, the eight very special people who wrote reference letters on my behalf and my family,” said McGraw, son of Kenneth McGraw and JoAnn O’Quin of Oxford. “I’m looking forward to the chance to represent the university and I’m going to do my very best.”
The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest international fellowships, bring outstanding students from many countries to the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Besides “intellectual distinction,” the selection committee seeks excellence in qualities of mind and of person, which combined offer the promise of effective service to the world in the decades ahead. Rhodes Scholars are elected for two years of study at Oxford University, with the possibility of being renewed for a third year.
McGraw’s selection as a finalist is an honor for him and an important distinction for the university, Chancellor Dan Jones said.
“Taylor represents what is best about the University of Mississippi,” Jones said. “He brought with him a keen intellect, curious spirit and positive attitude. He has taken advantage of opportunities here and is a remarkable student leader on our campus.”
McGraw has put together a long list of accomplishments during his four years at UM. He is Associated Student Body president, was an ASB senator for three years, a Barksdale Award winner and intern in New York City with USA Today.
While in New York, he noticed the men who sit in Washington Park Square and play chess. He got to know these chess players and honed his own game, which provided insights for the basis of “Life in the Chess Corner,” his nonfiction book proposal being handled by Folio Literary Management. His time in New York City with the chess players is also the subject of his honors thesis, being directed by Eric Weber, UM assistant professor of public policy leadership.
“I have not met another student who has impressed me as much as Taylor has in combining creativity, hard work, initiative and courage,” Weber said.
Honors College Dean Douglass Sullivan-González agreed.
“When you look at Taylor, you see both the traditional and the unpredictable,” Sullivan-González said. “He’s ASB president, but he’s also a chess hustler-in-training. When it comes to ‘fighting the world’s fight,’ as the Rhodes Trust puts it, Taylor is a path-breaker, not a cookie-cutter.”
In addition, McGraw and his brother Jake, an Ole Miss Truman Scholar and Rhodes finalist in 2010, co-wrote a Ten-Minute Play that was performed in September at the Oxford Powerhouse.
He also spearheaded the Mississippi Rock the Schoolhouse Challenge, a competition among public K-12 schools to win a day of interaction with student representatives from the state’s public universities. The idea came from a discussion with other student body presidents about potential statewide service projects.
“Essentially, we’re pairing college students with students from K-12 schools for service projects to improve their schools,” McGraw said. Last month, the group reviewed 18 applications and began selecting projects.
“I decided that Ole Miss would take on a project presented by Water Valley High School to improve the landscaping around the entrance to their school,” he said. “We’re planning the project now and are scheduled to knock it out right before Thanksgiving break.”
Additionally, he has been part of ongoing work in San Mateo, Belize, and filmed a documentary on the road-building project involving Ole Miss students as volunteers.
“I’m very excited and pleased that Taylor has been named a Rhodes finalist,” said Debra Young, associate dean of the honors college. “To be invited to compete at that level is a strong affirmation of his choices and his abilities, and a strong affirmation of the quality of students at the University of Mississippi.”
McGraw begins a two-day interview process Friday before the District 12 selection committee. Two finalists are chosen from each state to interview by district, and District 12 includes Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and South Carolina. This process leads to the selection of 32 Scholars nationally, from roughly 900 applications.
To prepare for the interview, McGraw said he has been reading The New York Times and listening to National Public Radio every day, studying education and poverty research, and mapping out answers to probable questions.
“I’ve also been doing mock interviews organized by Debra Young with the participation of gracious volunteers from the university and community,” McGraw said. “My brother Jake went through this same process and he’s actually studying at Oxford now, so he’s been very instrumental in helping me prepare.”
UM’s last Rhodes Scholar was Shad White, selected in the 2008 competition.
McGraw has a healthy outlook about the interview process.
“Whatever happens, happens, but either way I’ll have a great experience,” McGraw said. “It would be nice to cross the goal off the list on my bedroom door, though.”