Akosua Matthews/ canadianrhodes.org

By Samuel Getachew

By the time William Weld was designated as the American ambassador to Mexico in 1997 he had accomplished many things in his life.  He had been the Governor of Massachusetts, federal prosecutor, was partner in a prestigious law firm and wracked up impressive academic credentials; A. B. summa cum laude from the prestigious Harvard College and an economics degree from Oxford before going back to Harvard Law School to complete his J.D. cum laude.

Many considered him as a future presidential candidate, yet in his confirmation hearing that ultimately failed he was asked to describe his biggest failures so far in his journey. How could such a perfect creature have any shortcomings or failures? What was his biggest failure so far? It was his failure to earn a Rhodes scholarship as a youngster that he has often regretted.

To understand this elite scholarship and more importantly the recipients, is to be impressed by what the founder of the scholarship envisioned generations ago. “Literary and scholastic attainments; Energy to use one’s talents to the fullest, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports; truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship; and finally, moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings.

In Canada, a very small group of Canadians have attained the title of a Rhodes Scholar. Liberal Leader Bob Rae, CBC personality Rex Murphy and former Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams are some of the very few. Add Akosua Matthews, part Ghanaian and a proud Manitoban and now Toronto resident to the mix.

When she was chosen as a Rhodes Scholar in 2008 at only 22, she held a University of Manitoba BA that took her three years to complete.  She had also completed a 10-month internship at the Manitoba legislature and had spent five years as a member of the Canadian Army where she held the title of corporal. She also held positions with the Youth Parliament of Manitoba.

At Oxford, while she completed an MPhil in Comparative Social policy, she served as an executive member of Oxford Women in Politics and traveled to diverse places such as South Africa, China and Israel.  An aspiring politician, her thesis focused on the “effects of female representation on social policy discussion and decision making”.

Upon her return to Canada, she continued her studies at the University of Toronto Law School where she often champions many worthy causes. In Toronto, she has been an integral member of the Public Legal Education Committee for the group Justice for Children and Youth (JFCY) and in her first law school summer, she was a caseworker of Downtown Legal Services. She is currently in her second year.

It was at the convocation of a mentor, Bruce Alexander, for an honorary degree at Queens University, where I meet this young extraordinaire for the very first time. At only 26 years old, she has achieved much, but then again, as Cecil Rhodes envisioned, she has the characteristics and qualities of a future world leader.

I ask her how she met the honoree and she explains, that she is a member of a “Shadow Cabinet” that was started by Mr. Alexander that hosts and mentors bright young women in Toronto. Talking about a just announced NDP leadership candidate, Niki Ashton, from her home province who is only three years her senior, I ask, what would she like her title to be in a future cabinet? With a certain smile, she stares at me and says, “Prime Minister”. To explain that certainty – one should only go back and read her writings from her Oxford years.

Writing for The Rhodes Project, she explains how, “There is a view that the Rhodes scholarship is a ticket to a political career. When I came to Oxford, it quickly became clear to me that some Rhodes Scholars have been actively preparing themselves for precisely that kind of career and have been using their time at Oxford to engage in debates, write blogs, and host informal dinner parties to debate current issues”.

She continued, “Noticeably, many of these ‘politicos’ are male and, in the process of striking up informal ‘shadow cabinets’ with their male colleagues, they have generally overlooked politically inclined female Rhodes Scholars. Whilst I was quite aware and often joked about these budding ‘shadow cabinets’, I began to wonder whether I was the only female Rhodes Scholar with political ambitions”.

On our way back from the convocation in Kingston,  she threw herself into her books, knowing she had a late class the following day.  I however, wanted to treat her to a favorite Ethiopian restaurant of hers, only a stones throw away from her residence.  Over a shared meal, I ask her what the plan for her day is. Ultimate freebee, volunteer and more studying and class at 6 PM, she shoots back.

Cecil Rhodes must have dreamed a future world leader just like her when he created such an exclusive scholarship many years ago.

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