Diana Sabot '95 never expected to become a Rhodes Scholar, an honor shared by President Bill Clinton and Labor Secretary Robert Reich '68.
"I was told that people like me didn't win these scholarships," she said.
But on December 10, Sabot became the 61st Rhodes Scholar in Dartmouth's history.
"I've never cried from happiness before in my life but I cried that day," Sabot said.
"This is the first thing that's happened to me that has importance for my whole life. That's scary but it's wonderful," Sabot said.
Sabot, an English and creative writing major, said she doubted she could compete against other students with very specific goals for their future.
"I'm not particularly focused," Sabot said. "Even though I have a lot of ambition, it's unfocused ambition."
Ultimately, it was the encouragement of her father, a Fulbright Scholar himself, that caused her to apply, she said.
"My father said that really I had nothing to lose," she said. "I didn't 'sell myself' or present myself as the kind of person I thought would win."
The application process for the scholarship involved two sets of interviews -- a statewide interview in Concord, N.H. and a regional interview in Boston, Mass. Four Rhodes Scholars were chosen from the region.
The interview process was actually enjoyable, she said.
"I never thought I was going to win," Sabot said. "That's what made it so much fun."
In her 1000-word essay, Sabot wrote about "sense of place" and her personal views on the nature of creative writing, poetry and history.
"I really found my niche in creative writing" at the College, Sabot said. The department was filled with people who "cared intensely about what they do," she said.
"Maybe I'm being romantic, but I hope that will be paralleled" at Oxford, she said.
Each year 32 Rhodes Scholars are chosen from the United States to study for two years at Oxford. Each state selects two semi-finalists who advance to compete in eight regions.
Four Rhodes scholars are selected from each region.
Sabot will pursue a second bachelor's degree in English and history at Oxford. While some Rhodes Scholars work toward a master's degree, Sabot said she "isn't ready to specialize."
Sabot was one of the founders of Spare Rib during her first year at Dartmouth. While at the College, she has been a member of the ski team, rowed crew, been a Presidential Scholar, done independent study, and written an honors thesis in poetry.
English Professor Linda Boose, who has worked with Sabot, said Sabot "did an incredible job" as a research assistant.
"She was very intuitive," Boose said. "I was delighted to see that the Rhodes committee was persuaded by her passion for things."
The Rhodes Scholarship was started with money donated by Cecil Rhodes, a British industrialist.
Seventy-nine scholars are chosen each year from Germany, the United States, and former British colonies.
This year, 18 women and 14 men were chosen from 1,253 applicants in the United States.
"It's wonderful to be with an accomplished group of women," Sabot said.
