Ellington

“Mom, I really got it. I’m not joking.”

Seniors Byron Gray and Cameron Turtle could not convince their moms they had won the Rhodes Scholarship.

“Most people didn’t believe me, especially my mom,” Turtle said. “They basically said, ‘Oh no way, did you really? Are you lying to me?’ But then they realized that I’d given up on the joke.”

Thirty-two scholars this year were selected for the Rhodes Scholarship, which is recognized by many institutions as the most prestigious scholarship. It offers full-ride tuition to study at Oxford University for two years or more. Of the 830 students who were nominated, 256 were chosen to be interviewed, and 16 were selected from each region. Additionally, each recipient will be getting 10,000 to 12,000 British pounds ($18,761.70) for living expenses. The Scholars will receive a total of about $50,000.

Gray and Turtle were able to put the UW on the map as the only public university with more than one student winning the scholarship.

Turtle and Gray both mentioned the unbelievable amount of Facebook notifications, text messages, and emails they’ve received within the last couple of days.

“I’ve been secretive about getting an interview [for the scholarship],” Gray said. “I didn’t want all my friends to get their hopes up. So about 30 minutes before I had the interview, I posted it on my Facebook. After I found out, obviously my friends were quite ecstatic.”

Gray is triple majoring in political science, South Asian studies, and law, societies, and justice. He was born in Nevada and raised in Idaho and Tennessee, but calls Seattle his home. He chose to go to the UW for the proximity to his home instead of Boston College, his other choice.

Turtle studies in the Bioengineering Department and is minoring in mathematics. He was born in Canada, but moved to Pullman at age 7. He chose the UW for the bioengineering program over his options of University of California San Diego, Duke, and Berkeley.

There are several parallels between Gray and Turtle. One is their average daily schedule.

Both scholars wake up around 6 a.m. to begin their day. Gray usually catches up on homework, and Turtle goes to the IMA to work out. After their classes, Gray and Turtle either work out or start their research and study until bedtime. Gray falls asleep around 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. while being distracted by Facebook or YouTube, but Turtle manages to sleep at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. every night.

They also have future goals in common. Both Gray and Turtle plan on careers as professors. Turtle said he wished to give back the education he has received to future students.

At Oxford, Gray will be getting his master’s degree in contemporary Indian studies and socio-legal studies. Turtle isn’t sure what he wants to study, but he is planning to have a Skype conversation with one of the professors about a research study.

Both Turtle and Gray felt the pressure building before the decisions were made public. On the day of their interviews, Turtle remarked the interviewers were being “secretive” by not telling them when the interview was going to be. It was after the lunch when they had announced the times for the interviews. While waiting, Turtle said he played the “most intense game of Cranium, charades, and taboo” of his life.

Gray said Rhodes is known for having very esoteric interview questions and “throwing random things at you.” Gray said he saw a former student who got asked, “What is time?”

Both Turtle and Gray said a lot of the questions reflected their personal statements. One of the hardest questions Turtle said he got was, “Let’s suppose you are the president of the NCAA or the UW. What would you change in order to prevent the type of student-body response that we have seen at Penn State [rioting in support of Joe Paterno]?”

Turtle said he used the cup of water given to him before the interview strategically when asked a difficult question, drinking out of the cup to gain more time to think before responding.

“I felt my answer [to the NCAA presidency question] wasn’t particularly well-articulated, but I recovered when talking about my research and solutions for the developing world,” Turtle said.

Turtle felt comfortable talking about questions related to his field of study, such as what he saw as the most viable solution in developing countries. He discussed how in Nepal, people were using coins to cut the umbilical cord, infecting the baby and the mother. To resolve the issue, researchers included a sterilized coin in a packet of tools for the people.

“It’s a $2 solution to a mass problem,” Turtle said.

Gray said he was “very nervous” when going into the interview.

“I can’t let this sort of formality of the process stifle my ability to communicate what I’m interested in and passionate about,” Gray said, describing what he told himself right before the interview started.

Both Turtle and Gray were prepared by the UW Office of Merit Scholarships for the interviews and the application process. They had mock interviews, which they said prepared them significantly.

In the application process, the scholars were required to have eight recommendation letters. Michael Regnier, a professor who has seen Turtle in his labs since he was a freshman, said Turtle is very bright, driven, and will be successful with whatever he does.

“It’s a credit to Cameron [Turtle], but it’s a credit to our education program in the Bioengineering Department in the UW,” Regnier said. “He’s been able to take advantage of the opportunity given to him.”

Turtle and Gray mentioned many times that this scholarship mainly reflected on the education and relationships they’ve built with UW faculty and their peers.

Amy Van, a senior who met Gray on a study abroad trip to India, said she let out a silent scream after Gray told her of the news.

“Byron is abnormally normal,” Van said. “He’s freakishly smart, … probably one of the smartest people I’ve ran into in my life, but he’s humble about it. I was so thrilled [to hear the news]. I feel he deserves it more than anyone [I have] ever known. He’s worked so hard at everything, and he refuses to take shortcuts for things.”

The scholars will be in Oxford by fall of next year. Turtle and Gray both mentioned how they would miss family and friends upon leaving — as well as the food. Gray said he’ll miss Shultzy’s on the Ave, his favorite place to eat.

“When you go through Rhodes, you have to spend inordinate amount of time writing about your time, what you’ve done, and where you’re going,” Gray said. “The departments and the people that I’ve been fortunate enough to interact with really gave me the ability to go into that interview. I really see the award as commenting more upon that. It’s more of the collective work that the university does as a social body than anything particularly special and unique that I brought into the process.”

Reach reporter Joon Yi at features@dailyuw.com.