Student from Minnesota chosen as Rhodes Scholar for 2017

A college student from Minnesota is among the 32 Americans who have been chosen as Rhodes Scholars and will pursue post-graduate studies at Oxford University in England.

Ahmed M. Ahmed, of Rochester, will pursue a master's degree in research in organic and medical chemistry at Oxford. The Rhodes Trust announced the scholars-elect for 2017 Sunday.

Ahmed is a senior at Cornell University majoring in biology. He has tutored students in organic and general chemistry and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. He is a first-generation Somali immigrant whose family emigrated to the U.S. from a Kenyan refugee camp.

The 2017 scholars-elect were chosen from 882 applicants who were endorsed by 311 colleges and universities. The scholarships cover all expenses for two or three years of study at Oxford starting next October.

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