FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 30, 2001 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 TWO DRAKE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ADVANCE TO STATE FINALS FOR RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS Two Drake University students have been named Iowa state finalists in the competition for Rhodes Scholarships. They are Ajenai Clemmons, a senior from Greenwood Village, Colo., and Zachary Nunn, a senior from Altoona. "It's rare for Drake to have two students selected as state finalists for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships," said Julian Archer, professor of history and director of post-graduate fellowships at Drake. "Having two finalists shows that Drake is attracting exceptional students and that our faculty members are doing an excellent job of refining the intellect of the students who come here." As part of the state-level competition, Clemmons and Nunn will be interviewed by the Iowa Selection Committee for Rhodes Scholarships next Wednesday in Des Moines. The student selected by the committee to represent Iowa will advance to the district competition. Each district's selection committee may elect up to four Rhodes Scholars. Iowa is part of district six, which also encompasses Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The Rhodes Scholarships were established by Cecil Rhodes in 1903 to bring able students from throughout the English-speaking world and beyond to study at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Each year, 32 U.S. citizens are selected as Rhodes Scholars. "This is a huge honor," Clemmons said of her selection as a state finalist. "I hope I can advance to the next level. I would love the opportunity to study at Oxford. I would pursue a Master of Philosophy in Latin American Studies." Clemmons is majoring in international relations, history and Spanish, and has studied abroad in Chile and Argentina. She serves as president of the Drake Honors Council and as task force director of the Drake Student Activities Board. Last spring she founded "Storybook Time," a partnership with local elementary schools in which Drake students read books to children. She also has been a legislative assistant at the Iowa State Capitol and an administrative assistant to the executive director of a nonprofit organization, Urban Dreams. "It is inspiring, but also challenging to be selected as a state finalist," said Nunn, who hopes to become a foreign service officer in the State Department. "There are many different graduate schools that could prepare me well for working with the State Department, though unquestionably the Rhodes Scholarship provides an opportunity unrivaled anywhere in the world." Nunn is majoring in international relations, political science and law, politics and society. He is president of the Drake Student Activities Board, chancellor of the Delta Omicron Kappa honor society and producer of a campus television show. He is active in politics, serving as deputy finance director for Congressman Greg Ganske's campaign for the U.S. Senate. He also has been a legislative aide to Iowa State Rep. Beverly Nelson and a parliamentary assistant to Peter Bottomley, a member of the House of Commons in London.