Academy cadet awarded Rhodes Scholarship

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U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (AFPN) --  A senior at the U.S. Air Force Academy recently was awarded one of 32 Rhodes Scholarships for 2008.

Cadet 1st Class Hila Levy, from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, is a biology major with Cadet Squadron 9. First in her class, she is an accomplished linguist, minoring in Arabic, French and Spanish while fluent in Italian, Portuguese and Hebrew. She has done research on Dengue and hemorrhagic fever in Venezuela. She also has written several papers accepted for publication relating to language in the military and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The scholarship will allow for Cadet Levy, who is the 35th Academy recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship, to study at the University of Oxford in England and complete her Masters of Science in global health science.

The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest and best known award for international study, were created in 1902 through the will of Cecil Rhodes, British philanthropist and African colonial pioneer. Applicants are chosen on the basis of the criteria set down in the will, including high academic achievement, integrity of character, a spirit of unselfishness, respect for others, potential for leadership and physical vigor.

The 32 Rhodes Scholars chosen from the United States will join an international group chosen from thirteen other jurisdictions around the world. Approximately 85 scholars are selected worldwide each year.

Cadet Levy is the first Puerto Rican resident to win a Rhodes Scholarship. 

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