Michigan State University put four undergraduates and two alumni forward for the Oxford scholarship. Casper, a College of Social Science alumna, is nominated for a second year.
MSU released its nominees on Oct. 12, 2026. U.S. selection results are expected in November, the university said.
The slate includes four current undergraduates and two alumni. Kaylin Casper and Lily Dixon are among the nominees connected to MSU's College of Social Science. Casper graduated in spring 2026; Jerome Hamilton graduated in 2025. Dixon and Eleanor Pugh are fourth-year undergraduates. The university's announcement of the nominees also names Anastasia Breen and Ashlin Stover.
Casper, from Burbank, California, is a 2026 Honors College alumna. She studied sociology through the College of Social Science. Her other studies included humanities pre-law through the College of Arts and Letters, as well as women's and gender studies. MSU nominated her for a Rhodes Scholarship last year too, alongside Kierra Jursch.
Dixon, from Marquette, Michigan, is a fourth-year Honors College student. She studies public policy through the College of Social Science and arts and humanities through the College of Arts and Letters. Hamilton, from Baltimore, is a 2025 Honors College alumnus who studied political science through the College of Social Science.
Breen is a fourth-year Honors College student from Bay City, Michigan. She studies international relations through James Madison College and theatre through the College of Arts and Letters.
Pugh, from Bethesda, Maryland, is also a fourth-year Honors College student. She studies international relations through James Madison College and Russian through the College of Arts and Letters. Her economics minor is through the College of Social Science.
Stover, from Northville, Michigan, is a fourth-year student studying international relations through James Madison College. MSU lists John Glenn High School as Breen's hometown high school. Pugh attended Walt Whitman High School, while Stover attended Northville High School. Casper attended John Burroughs High School. Dixon went to Marquette High School, and Hamilton attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.
Casper and Hamilton took part in the Social Science Scholars Program, an undergraduate mentorship and enrichment program for a select group of high-achieving College of Social Science students. Pugh is a current scholar in the program as well. The Michigan college offers report covered statewide direct-admission offers and college funding, distinct from competitive scholarships.
Earlier in the same week, Casper and Dixon were named Marshall Scholarship nominees. Hamilton and Pugh were named as well. Rhodes nominations are a university selection step, and MSU said the U.S. competition results would be determined in November.
MSU describes the Rhodes Scholarship as the oldest international scholarship program. It awards 32 U.S. scholarships each year. The university says it has produced 20 Rhodes Scholars to date.
