Congratulations to Minnetonka Alumna Astrid Liden, Class of 2019, who was recently selected as a U.S. Rhodes Scholar. Astrid Liden is a senior at Columbia University studying Political Science and Latin American & Caribbean Studies, and she will complete the Master of Science in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies at Oxford. Liden says she is honored to have earned this title. The U.S. Rhodes Scholarship provides 32 United States students each year with funding to pursue graduate studies at the University of Oxford. 

“Being a Rhodes Scholar is a huge honor,'' said Liden. “I will be able to pursue my interests in migration policy and at one of the world's leading institutions both in general academically but particularly in my own field. Secondly, the community and history of Rhodes scholars is something that I am very excited and humbled to be able to join.”

In the future, Liden hopes to use the opportunities provided to her as a Rhodes Scholar to research and advocate for the Venezuelan migrant and refugee community around the world.

“I am very interested in the intersection between academic work, government advocacy and community engagement, and I believe that all three need to work hand-in-hand for there to be successful change,” Liden said. “My long-term goal is to keep advocating for the rights and needs of Venezuelans forcibly displaced from their homes. My research interests look at family networks within communities of forced Venezuelan migrants, how national migration policies in Latin America and the United States impact movement of Venezuelans in the region and how migrants interact with migration politics. I hope to use this research in my professional experiences, which will focus on building and implementing a movement for wider government policy of migrant integration of Venezuelans.”

The Rhodes Scholarship is not only a U.S. organization. Twenty-three other jurisdictions (more than 60 countries) award Rhodes Scholarships, with more than 100 Rhodes Scholars selected worldwide this year. Not only is this a fantastic academic opportunity, but it creates connections and community between all of the Scholars.

“The Rhodes Scholarship really opens up so many doors for my future journey in migration policy research, particularly in the academic and scholarly opportunities available both at Oxford and with the Rhodes Scholarship itself,” said Liden. “Oxford's Refugee Studies Centre is a leading research institution for refugee and forced migration studies and gaining access to this amazing resource and the faculty and research that comes from here. Learning more about global refugee and forced migration research outside of my region of focus is very important to further understand the situation for Venezuelans and how other examples can apply for further change.”

Liden graduated with the Minnetonka High School Class of 2019. During her time in Minnetonka, Liden was a part of the International Baccalaureate Programme, Model United Nations and Minnetonka Choir.

“I really credit my time at Minnetonka for opening up the doors to my intellectual and personal curiosity. The International Baccalaureate Programme was particularly important to me in my time at Minnetonka, encouraging students to become globally-minded and well-rounded in all academic disciplines. For me, the IB Diploma really set me up for my time at Columbia, where we are required to study disciplines outside our major and are very focused on reading and writing as ways to engage with academic areas.Outside the classroom at Minnetonka, I was really involved in Model United Nations, where I was able to explore my interests in global affairs and particularly issues of humanitarian response and migration. Minnetonka Choir was also a fundamental part of my time at Minnetonka in my development through music but also in being such a great community for me. During my time in Minnetonka, I was also involved with Minnetonka sports and community service …especially Backpack Tutoring … and I really want to thank everyone in all of these spaces who have helped me become the person I am today!”

Liden thanks Ms. Harley and Ms. McWhirter (Modelo UN), and Paula Holmberg, Aaron Kohrs and Mary Wiersum (Minnetonka Choir). She would also like to thank the Minnetonka staff for their support, especially her counselor Mary Beth Wiig for her support and encouragement. Finally, she thanks her mom, brother and family, her communities at both Minnetonka and St. Therese of Deephaven, as well as everyone that has impacted her in Minnesota and at Columbia.