A Colby senior has been selected for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, the first time since 1999 and only the seventh time in the history of the College that a student has received this honor. 

Daniel Juzych, a biology major and science, technology, and society minor from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., was among 32 American students selected for the honor. The scholarship covers the cost of graduate studies at the University of Oxford in England, and has an average value of $75,000 per year. It is considered the most prestigious international scholarship for American college graduates, and approximately 100 students globally are awarded the scholarship. 

Juzych, a member of the Colby men’s varsity hockey team, plans to study global health at the University of Oxford as part of the Rhodes Scholar program. 

‘The Rhodes Scholarship is a lasting recognition of deep achievement, to be sure, but it also reflects something more profound. It is fundamentally about impact, both what its recipient has demonstrated and what promise that individual has to shape the world for the better.’

President David A. Greene

“I was drawn to the Rhodes Scholarship because the rigor and interdisciplinary nature of an Oxford education really builds on a Colby education. … I’m so grateful to the Colby community because it’s had a tremendous influence on me,” the student said. “The Rhodes community is united by addressing the most pressing issues of our time. There’s an emphasis on more responsibility and service to others, and the thought of being part of a community like that was extremely motivating.” 

Juzych, 23, has already taken steps to be of service to others. His family is Ukrainian-American, and when he was growing up in the Detroit metro area, he spent every Saturday at a Ukrainian school, learning the country’s language, literature, culture, geography, and history. He also spent every summer at camp with the Ukrainian Plast, a scouting organization. 

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he wanted to find a way to help his family’s homeland, and has done so by working with the nonprofit Eye Care for Ukraine. Juzych has helped set up surgical ophthalmology training centers in the war-torn country, traveling to Ukraine twice since the war began. He has also helped establish a process to do corneal transplants and to start a corneal eye bank in Ukraine. 

“The Rhodes Scholarship is a lasting recognition of deep achievement, to be sure, but it also reflects something more profound. It is fundamentally about impact, both what its recipient has demonstrated and what promise that individual has to shape the world for the better,” said President David A. Greene. “That’s why Dan is the ideal winner of this most prestigious honor. He is a compassionate and fearless leader who possesses the best combination of strength and humility. He is brilliant and curious, industrious and generous. The world will always need leaders with those admirable and seemingly rare qualities. He gives me great hope, as our Colby students often do, that our increasingly complex and fast-moving world will be in good hands with a new generation of leadership.” 

A quest to do good in the world

The award was established in 1903 through the will of Cecil John Rhodes, a South African mining magnate who had studied at the University of Oxford. According to the Rhodes Trust, 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 humankind. 

Beth Throne, dean of DavisConnects, said Juzych is an exemplar of the kind of leader the trust is seeking. 

“If you look at his life through this point, it’s about doing good in the world for others,” she said. “It is incredibly special to have someone so young, so humble, so focused, and so intent on doing good in the world. I don’t know what could be a better representation of the Rhodes’ charge to use your energy and talents to the fullest than that.” 

Blaise MacDonald, the Jack Kelley Head Coach of Men’s Hockey, said that he and the others who are part of the hockey program are “filled with joy” for Juzych. 

“We have always known he is a special human being and teammate,” MacDonald said. “This is such a deserving and incredible honor for Dan and the entire Colby community, and now more people will know Dan’s story. He is an inspiration to us all.”

‘Daniel naturally is a lighthouse. He shines. He facilitates. He encourages connections. I think that’s part of his gift.’ 

Beth Throne, dean of DavisConnects

An exacting application process

Juzych learned about the scholarship because one of his father’s friends was a Rhodes Scholar. Over the last couple of years, he became more and more intrigued by the possibilities it presented. Acclaimed Rhodes Scholars include former President Bill Clinton, journalist and activist Ronan Farrow, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, and former U.S. Senator and professional basketball player Bill Bradley. 

“I was really just attracted to the opportunity to be surrounded by some of the most incredible people, who become senators, presidents, and do these incredible things in the world and who make global change,” Juzych said. “I wanted to be part of developing knowledge and skills at a place like Oxford, which has this incredibly storied tradition of producing some of the greatest minds of our time and history.” 

With joining them as his motivation, he started the long and exacting application process. He wrote his personal and academic statements, reached out to multiple Colby faculty members and his coach to ask for letters of recommendation, and looked at Oxford to decide which programs he would pursue, if selected. He also asked the College to write an institutional endorsement for the scholarship, which Senior Associate Provost Jim Sloat gladly did. 

Several weeks ago, Sloat got in touch with Throne. Colby had a Rhodes finalist, he told her—could DavisConnects help him prepare for the next part of the process? 

The answer was an immediate and enthusiastic yes. 

“As soon as Daniel alerted us that he was selected as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, we surrounded him with support,” Throne said. “Not that he needed much, as he is truly tremendous on his own.”

‘I think one thing that makes Colby incredibly special is the people who are here, the professors, the faculty, the staff, and the students. It’s these people who motivate me to be the best version of myself every day. Whether that’s my teammates on the ice who are pushing me, or my peers in the classroom who are asking incredible questions, or doing incredible work, the Colby community inspires me.’

Daniel Juzych ’26

A compelling personal story

Juzych was one of nearly 2,800 American students to apply for the scholarship. Finalists selected from 16 U.S. geographic districts have two weeks to prepare before meeting with the Rhodes committee, which selects the recipients. 

Colby promptly mobilized, Throne said, setting up two mock interviews to simulate the Rhodes interview experience. She also reached out to a dozen faculty and alumni, who helped Juzych prepare by coaching him in individual sessions and helping with the mock interviews. 

This past weekend, Juzych went home to Michigan for the final part of the selection process, missing the opening games of the hockey season. On Friday night, he and the other finalists from his geographic district engaged in a networking reception with Rhodes selection committee members, an event that gives the judges a chance to evaluate candidates in an informal setting. 

“The key to [the reception] is being a lighthouse, not needing a spotlight,” Throne said. “Daniel naturally is a lighthouse. He shines. He facilitates. He encourages connections. I think that’s part of his gift.” 

On Saturday, he met with a group of Rhodes committee members who asked him questions for almost half an hour. This was the time for finalists to explain what they hoped to achieve if selected for the Rhodes Scholarship, what their trajectory would be if they weren’t, and how they wanted to make a difference in the world either way. It was an opportunity to share their stories with the selection committee. 

In Juzych’s case, his story is compelling. Improving global health care is not a hobby or a passing fancy, but a steadfast goal, he said. He’s been able to combine that goal with his love of Ukraine and appreciation of his Ukrainian heritage by helping wounded soldiers through different efforts. He also has a great appreciation for his journey so far, crediting his family and the Colby community for their support and for helping to shape him. 

“I think one thing that makes Colby incredibly special is the people who are here, the professors, the faculty, the staff, and the students. It’s these people who motivate me to be the best version of myself every day,” he said. “Whether that’s my teammates on the ice who are pushing me, or my peers in the classroom who are asking incredible questions, or doing incredible work, the Colby community inspires me.”

A big surprise 

After the interview, the committee members asked the finalists to gather and wait in a nearby room while they deliberated. 

“We were there for almost four hours, but it was actually some of the most fun I’ve had,” Juzych said. 

The finalists played card games and got to know each other as they passed the time. Then the committee members came in and announced the two regional winners. When Juzych heard his name, he was shocked. 

“I just couldn’t believe it,” he said, adding that it was fun to tell his parents, who were also stunned by the news. “They’ve shaped me into the person I am, and I feel immense gratitude to them and my three siblings. I feel like I’m just the lucky beneficiary of all these incredible opportunities.”  

At Oxford, he hopes to get a master’s degree in the history of science, technology, and medicine, and another master’s degree in the modeling of global health. Ultimately, he is interested in pursuing a medical path and becoming a physician, although he’s open to new opportunities. 

“The Rhodes community wants to change the world. That’s something I’m really excited to be part of,” Juzych said. “I think it’ll help me have a global perspective on health, and help other people. I think it will help me become a better physician, scientist, researcher, and global health leader.”