Villanova student-athlete’s Rhodes scholarship third in school’s history

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     Jessica Wamala (Photo courtesy of Villanova University)

    Jessica Wamala (Photo courtesy of Villanova University)

    Last month, Jessica Wamala became the third Rhodes scholar in Villanova University history.

    But the achievements of Wamala and the two previous winners don’t end in the classroom. All three have also been female student-athletes.

    Wamala says she’s been able to succeed academically because of the time spent on her sport.

    “Basketball has helped me be more focused and more committed to my studies by giving me a chance to kind of release a lot of the pent-up stress or anything I’m going through outside of the court,” she said.

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    The first-year master’s student in political science will head to Oxford University in England to earn a master’s of philosophy in the Arabic language and Middle Eastern politics. She hopes to eventually join the Foreign Service.

    Click the audio above to hear Wamala’s full interview with WHYY host Jo Ann Allen.

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