Sandersville native named finalist for coveted Rhodes Scholarship (Mississippi)

Leader Call ^ | Nov 22, 2008 | Staff Writers

[Islander7]

Shad White plays with children in an orphanage in the El Salvador
capital of San Salvador in the summer of 2006.
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OXFORD — Shadrack "Shad" Tucker White has been doing a lot of practice interviews lately, but they're not for a job. He already has one of those.

When this University of Mississippi honors graduate sits for the real interview Saturday in Kansas City, it is for an academic distinction shared by some of the world's great leaders and intellectuals of the past century.

White is a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship, an all-expense-paid opportunity to study for two years at Oxford University in England, one of the world's oldest universities. The scholarship is the most coveted academic award for American undergraduates.

White has the academic muscle, concern for others and character that the scholarship program was designed to attract. Since graduating summa cum laude from UM in May, he has been in Washington, D.C., working to improve early childhood education in both Mississippi and the rest of the nation.

White's senior honors thesis - an examination of finance and education in Mississippi schools that called for more accountability on funding issues - landed him a job as an analyst with the U.S. Department of Education, which then led to a fellowship with Pre-K Now, a nonprofit research and advocacy group.

"My days are filled with analyzing new research that comes out or helping policy analysts," he said. "I split my time between good research and good advocacy."

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[Islander7]

"....Though he was born and raised in Mississippi, White chose a road to Ole Miss that was not as straight as many students take. In 2004, he was offered a spot in the freshman class of his dream school, Georgetown University. The papers were signed and mailed. However, recognizing White's potential as a leader, a recruiter from the UM honors college convinced him that the university's honors program was the perfect place for him and offered him a full ride. This scholarship provided enough money for him to send some back home to his family...."

[Islander7]

[Leisler]

Not encouraging. Already he has the big government, if only we have the right data, we can make the right decisions disease.

I get future RINO/policy wonk, touchy feely vibes.

We already know the data. We know the history of waste and failure. There are rooms of studies of failures, outcomes, lessons learned.

[Islander7]

“...Not encouraging...”

Yeah, I got the same feeling. I see an Obamabot in this kid; another Slick Willy.

Sadly, his home town is only 10 miles from where I grew up.

[Leisler]

Let’s pray he doesn’t go to Yale law school. Poor kid, never had a chance.

[Florida native]

Sandersville, MS - part of the Great State of Jones!

He's probably learned a lot more socialistic ideas than southern conservative ones.

[Hawthorn]

> I see an Obamabot in this kid; another Slick Willy <

Hey, give the kid a break!

It seems to me that he’s on almost exactly the same career path as Bobby Jindahl:

Brilliant young policy wonk, Republican, Rhodes Scholar.

What’s not to like?

[Hawthorn]

> Let’s pray he doesn’t go to Yale law school. <

Yeah, Yale Law School has ruined a lot of people, like Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito. We certainly wouldn’t want this kid to turn out like them!

(Probably the only worse thing would be for him to go to Harvard Law and turn out like Nino Scalia or John Roberts!)

[Leisler]

Actually, it's not good for males to go from academics, to law school to government. There something limp about them.

Anyone on the life time path of symbol manipulating would do well to run a Marine platoon for a few years. Find out how whole parts of reality are not discussable no mater how elegant the sophistry.

[Islander7]

UPDATE:

Sandersville native wins coveted Rhodes Scholarship

From staff reports

OXFORD — Shadrack “Shad” Tucker White Saturday was named the University of Mississippi’s 25th Rhodes Scholar and is the first to receive prestigious Rhodes and Truman scholarships.

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[Islander7]

[Hawthorn]

> Anyone on the life time path of symbol manipulating would do well to run a Marine platoon for a few years. <

So you want everybody to follow the career path of Sen. Jim Webbb (D-VA)?

Now ain't that a swell idea!

[Leisler]

Or Theodor Roosevelt, or HW Bush. It's good for young men.