By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times
Hoover High School graduate Rotimi Kukoyi, now at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been named one of 32 students to the American Rhodes Scholar Class of 2026.
Kukoyi was selected from a pool of 965 candidates who had been nominated by their colleges and universities. He will commence his studies at Oxford in October.
“My first reaction was absolute disbelief,” Kukoyi said in a text message late Sunday. “I never could have imagined being selected for the world’s oldest and most prestigious postgraduate award. In so many ways, I feel incredibly lucky for the opportunities and blessings that have brought me here.”
He continued: “My second reaction was pure excitement: for the doors this will open, for the community I’ll be joining, and for the ways this experience will deepen my journey and commitment to transforming our healthcare system.”
The achievement was just the latest for the Alabama native. In April, Kukoyi was selected as one of 54 college students named a 2025 Harry S. Truman Scholar, which for almost 50 years has recognized college students who demonstrate exceptional leadership potential and commitment to careers in public service.
Kukoyi has said his education in the Birmingham metro area provided him with a solid foundation.
“I’m very interested in public health and Birmingham has some of the South’s best public health infrastructure,” Kukoyi told The Birmingham Times in April. “You have UAB Hospital, I did research with UAB surgery when I was in high school; the public health department in Jefferson County is great and having that proximity to all those resources prepared me in terms of getting guidance from people, getting inspiration and encouragement.”
Kukoyi, is also a past winner of the prestigious Finley award in Hoover, which is given each year to the senior from each Hoover high school and one faculty member from throughout the school system who best demonstrates the character of former Berry High School coach Bob Finley, who was known for his outstanding character.
A senior at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), Kukoyi majors in Health Policy and Management. As an intern in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, he developed policies to advance value-based care for residents across the state.
While a summer intern in Nigeria, he designed and built digital tools to support the implementation of better health care decision-making and has worked with the UNC Student Health Action Coalition to help provide free health services to uninsured and underinsured state residents.
He was elected senior class president and also recently completed his first marathon. At Oxford, Olurotimi will pursue the M.Sc. in Health Improvement and Evaluation and the M.Sc. in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation.
Nearly 2,800 students began the application process, and 965 candidates received formal endorsements from their colleges and universities. The endorsed applicants represented more than 264 different institutions.
This spring, Kukoyi pointed to the “positive relationships” he developed in the metro area for his academic success.
“My resume might look like I’m doing these things alone but behind each bullet point, behind every achievement, it’s a village, it’s my family, it’s my friends, it’s my professors, who are opening doors for me,” he said, “ … nothing happens in a silo. It’s all community and really investing in the right relationships and showing gratitude for their investment in you.”
Among this year’s Rhodes Scholars-elect are:
- Three student body presidents, including Rotimi, and two local public officials
- An aspiring physician who helped build an eye bank in Ukraine
- A paralympic athlete who is also a bioengineer and advocate for athletes with disabilities
- An aeronautical engineer fluent in four languages who plays piano, guitar, and drums
- An international affairs scholar who paints portraits and competes in triathlons
More than 2,100 American Rhodes Scholars are living today in communities across the United States and around the world.
Established in 1902 through the will of Cecil Rhodes, the Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest and one of the most recognized international academic awards. The Scholarship provides full financial support for two to three years of study at Oxford and may extend to a fourth year, depending on the degree program.
