Sydney Whiting will set off on a new adventure at Oxford University next fall after learning she is a 2026 Rhodes Scholar. This prestigious scholarship is one of the world’s most competitive, with only 11 of the awards allocated to Canada and only three to the Prairie region.
Last weekend, Whiting was in Edmonton for her interview as a finalist and was driving back to Lethbridge on Sunday when she got the call.
“I was absolutely thrilled,” says Whiting, who is the fourth University of Lethbridge student in school history to receive the honour. “My family is so excited, and I’m so happy to share this with them, the University of Lethbridge and the community at large, as well.”
Her supervisor, Dr. Lars Hallstrom, a political science professor and director of the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy, describes Whiting as an outstanding student who has taken advantage of all the opportunities and experiences available at ULethbridge.
“It has been a pleasure, if not an honour, to work with Sydney for these past few years, both in class and at the Prentice Institute,” says Hallstrom. “I am absolutely delighted that she has received this scholarship.”
ULethbridge president Dr. Digvir Jayas also extends his congratulations.
“We are immensely proud of Sydney for earning the Rhodes Scholarship,” says Jayas. “This achievement reflects not only her extraordinary intellect and leadership, but also her deep commitment to making a positive impact in the world. Her success is a testament to the values of curiosity, resilience and service that define our university community.”
As a high school student, Whiting’s interest in public policy was sparked by her social studies classes, the leadership program at Chinook High School and engagement with the Youth Climate Strikes and the former Climate Hub of Southern Alberta. Following her graduation, she enrolled at ULethbridge and began taking political science courses.
“I was lucky to settle into a program that I really felt could support the research I wanted to do and learn from experts here at the University of Lethbridge,” she says.
Over the last few years, Whiting has been engaged in a variety of climate and gender-based advocacy work. Through the Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC), she represented Canadians as part of the delegation to Y7 Summit, the youth advisory group to the G7, in Tokyo, Japan, and to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She now volunteers with YDC as part of their youth-led Executive Team.
Additionally, during her time at ULethbridge Whiting worked on different political campaigns and at the Campus Collective Centre, a levy-funded student organization focused on gender and sexual health advocacy. She has also been involved in externally funded research projects as a research assistant at the Prentice Institute, including projects focused on rural social policy, immigration in rural communities, work-integrated learning through an eight-month MITACS internship, and populism and media studies. This past summer, Whiting completed her undergraduate honours thesis on the discursive functionality of sustainable development in corporate settings under the supervision of Hallstrom and Dr. Bronwyn Bragg.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to have published work with co-authors at the Prentice Institute and presented at conferences in Canada and abroad,” she says. “The investment that, in particular, Dr. Hallstrom and the Prentice Institute have made into my education has been phenomenal.”
She’ll finish the requirements for her degree in December and will continue working as a research associate at the Prentice Institute next year until the fall.
Whiting intends to apply to Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government for their public policy one plus one program. The two-year program will earn Whiting two degrees — a master of public policy and a master of science in public policy research.
Along with Whiting, the other Rhodes Scholars who attended ULethbridge include Cheryl Misak (1984), Blair McMurren (1998) and Russell Goodman (2001).
About the Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship is a fully funded postgraduate scholarship to study at the University of Oxford. The scholarship is merit based, with the purpose of developing public-spirited leaders and promote international understanding and peace through an international community of scholars.
The scholarship covers course fees with an annual stipend to cover living costs.
The scholarship was established in 1902 through the will of Cecil Rhodes. One of the founding aims of the scholarship was to identify young leaders from around the world who, through the pursuit of education together at Oxford, would forge bonds of mutual understanding and fellowship for the betterment of mankind.