Two Vic Students Win Rhodes Scholarships, a First in College’s History
Victoria College students Noah Rudder and Amy Mann were awarded 2025 Rhodes Scholarships for fully funded graduate study at the University of Oxford—two of only 11 Canadians to win the honour. (Photos by Will Dang)
By Joe Howell
Victoria College at the University of Toronto is celebrating a historic achievement as two of its students, Noah Rudder and Amy Mann, have been selected to be 2025 Rhodes Scholars—the first time two students from the college have received the prestigious award in one year.
Rudder and Mann are two of the 11 Canadians who will head to England in October 2025, where they will join more than 100 scholars from around the world to undertake fully funded post-graduate studies at the University of Oxford.
The Rhodes Scholarship is the world’s oldest graduate fellowship, and the rigorous selection process considers factors such as academic excellence, leadership potential, character and a commitment to solving humanity’s challenges.
Dr. Rhonda McEwen, president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University, expressed her joy at learning of the Rhodes winners.
“I was really over the moon for these two,” said McEwen. “Vic students are all impressive, and Amy and Noah are particularly incredible. It is a true privilege to interact with this calibre of young person.”
U of T has had 12 Rhodes Scholars over the past decade, and half of them were from Victoria College. “It says something about the ethos of Vic students that they are able to do so well in the Rhodes selection process,” said Victoria University Registrar Yvette Ali.
“I’ve been fortunate to know Amy and Noah for many years and I’m just so impressed by their humility, their care and their compassion for others. They are truly dedicated to improving both the student experience and society as a whole. What our students have been able to achieve is also a testament to the strong community and support at Vic.”
Noah Rudder: Championing social justice and the arts
Noah Rudder, who hails from Ajax, Ont., is completing the Peace, Conflict and Justice program at the Munk Centre while also majoring in drama at the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies. He hopes to combine his interests in social justice and the arts by pursuing both a Master of Public Policy and a Master of Fine Arts at Oxford.
In fact, Rudder learned he had been selected for a Rhodes Scholarship while he was on stage, rehearsing for a starring role as Detective Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express at Hart House Theatre. “I was so grateful—I feel at home in the theatre, and there’s no better place for me to have taken that call.”
Rudder has written for and performed in the Toronto Fringe Festival and other U of T productions. His extracurricular activities also include being an orientation leader and a residence don, playing intramural soccer and participating in Vic’s Humanities for Humanity program, where students and vulnerable community members meet to discuss various texts and plays. He is president of the Peace, Conflict and Justice Society, and has conducted research with the World Bank’s Office of the Chief Economist, focusing on knowledge generation in African countries pre-2009.
Rudder is passionate about social justice and was instrumental in Vic U’s 2024 signing of the Scarborough Charter, a commitment by institutions across Canada to combat anti-Black racism and foster Black inclusion in higher education. “Working with Vic’s Office of the President on the Scarborough Charter inspired me to contribute to an area where I can make an impact,” he said. “I think there are a lot of opportunities to push for spaces for Black individuals at the highest level of education.”
Rudder credited his Rhodes award in part to the support he received from Ali, the Vic registrar, and Victoria College Principal Alex Hernandez: “They did a mock interview with me and have just been my champions every step of the way.” He also thanked “everyone in the Office of the Dean of Students” for their assistance.
Amy Mann: Bridging mathematics and global health
Amy Mann, a Winnipeg native, is majoring in mathematics and statistics and has taken courses in global health and health studies.
Mann was a co-founder of the student community garden at Vic U and served as the sustainability commissioner on the Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council. She sits on the Vic U Board of Regents and volunteers at the Common Table in Toronto, a drop-in program supporting individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty. She is also the president of the U of T Mathematics Union, a climate activist and a writer.
Her interdisciplinary approach to math and science uses quantitative analysis to address the world’s most pressing issues. Mann was a co-author of “Not Cool: On the Loss of Cold Weather in the Canadian Arctic,” a paper published in the scientific journal Atmosphere-Ocean, and now is focused on the intersection of climate change and public health. “My current research project is trying to create climate-dependent models of malaria transmission in Cameroon,” she said.
She plans to continue her research in mathematical biology at Oxford. “I want to keep studying math and seeing how we can apply it to these big problems—like considering social factors of disease transmission to improve intervention strategies,” said Mann.
She also thanked Vic for supporting her academic journey. “Throughout my time at U of T there have been moments when I was really stressed about which courses I would take. I was kind of hopping between different programs, and it took me a while to figure out what my degree was. I always felt so supported by the Registrar’s Office and was in to see Yvette all the time.”
Multidisciplinary approaches to the world’s toughest issues
McEwen, president of Vic U, emphasized that both Rudder and Mann reflect the evolution of Victoria College.
“On one side we have Noah, a scholar who is a flag bearer for the humanities and social sciences,” she said. “On the other we have Amy, who represents a fast-growing group of Vic students interested in STEM subjects. Both students share a passion for people and embody the multidisciplinary approach needed to address the ‘wicked problems’ of the world—complex issues requiring insights from multiple disciplines.”
Rudder and Mann exemplify the kinds of student Vic hopes to attract, said McEwen. “They are curious but compassionate people who will challenge existing frameworks for a better tomorrow. When you meet either of them, you understand that you are with someone who is going to continue to do amazing things.”