Varsha Sarveshwar, Oak Park High School Alumna and a graduate of UC Berkeley, was chosen as one of the recipients of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships in Nov. 2021.

Sarveshwar was an active student while on campus at OPHS, including her role as captain in Mock Trial and as the Editor-in-Chief of the Talon.

“Varsha was inspiring to me because she valued education and the process of learning,” wrote English teacher Jan Willis. “She loved to learn, which meant she always gave her best effort for every assignment.  When we studied she wrote her final essay on the education system. Education. And, improvements in education have remained very dear to Varsha’s heart.”

The Rhodes Scholarship was first established in 1902; annually 32 students from the United States are selected to become Rhodes Scholars. Students from over 320 colleges and universities have been honored in this program. This year, over 2,300 students applied.

Applicants are chosen based on “outstanding intellect, character, leadership and commitment to service.”

The scholarship allows students to pursue their postgraduate education at the University of Oxford in England by covering fees and providing an annual stipend.

This year, among the 32 winners of the scholarship was Sarveshwar. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and minors in public policy and history.

According to her Berkeley.edu profile page, Sarveshwar first became aware of education inequality as she and her family moved nine times between Orange, LA and Ventura Counties before she turned 18. 

She is working towards “a lifelong career effecting meaningful change in California through politics and policy.”

At Berkeley, Sarveshwar made many strides in the political sphere. She managed Rigel Robinson’s campaign for Berkeley city council in 2018; Robinson was later elected and made city history as the youngest council member ever. In 2019, she was elected to be the President of the UC Student Association. She utilized her position in order to create positive change, passing an initiative to renew Berkeley students’ free local transit access, collaborating with CA lawmakers to help students throughout the pandemic.

She is a recipient of several other scholarships alongside Rhodes and worked extensively on campus as well. Her senior political science honor thesis was titled, “Leaders or Caretakers: Examining the Impacts of Ideological Diversity on California’s Legislative Leaders.”

“I hope to pursue two master’s degrees in the fields of political science, public policy, history, and/or law … I do not know what I’ll be doing after Oxford,” Sarveshwar said of her plans for the future.  “Fortunately, that will not be until summer 2024, so I have quite a bit of time to figure it out!”