Rhodes Scholarship Recipient—Brittany Dick

Brittany Dick, a Minerva University Class of 2024 graduate and a proud Māori from Kāi Tahu in Aotearoa New Zealand, has just become Minerva’s second Rhodes Scholar. She is also one of only four Māori to receive this prestigious scholarship in its 120-year history in New Zealand.

Brittany grew up deeply connected to her Māori heritage, with a strong foundation in indigenous practices and storytelling. This passion has driven her academic and professional pursuits, taking her across the globe in search of narratives that amplify marginalized voices.

At Minerva, she majored in Historical Forces and Arts & Literature, focusing on the intersection of history, social change, and the arts. “I was drawn to how we have location-based assignments and so many opportunities to engage with the places we live in,” she says. “In the Arts & Humanities College, those location-based assignments and the chances to really dig into your own relationship with the city were so much more profound than in other courses that I took. We got to engage with organizations on the ground, with the (often troubling) histories of the city, and work through our own relationship with them in expressive formats. I learned so much about the cities we lived in.”

Brittany’s Capstone project explored Māori pregnancy and childbirth traditions, focusing on the colonial forces that disrupted them and the enduring cultural significance of these practices. Using an auto-ethnographic lens, Brittany wove her own experiences as a Māori woman into the historical analysis, creating a deeply personal and academically rigorous project.

“What I loved about my Capstone project was being able to write in the first person and using my own subjectivity as a Māori woman as a strength of the project,” she shares. “It felt like something very Minervan that I wouldn’t have been able to explore in any other university context.”

Her Capstone research has already had a tangible impact on her community. Brittany is currently working for the maternity and young child service area of Te Piki Oranga, an organization providing a wide range of health services to Māori people in the Top of the South of New Zealand. It was also at Te Piki Oranga that she helped run vaccination clinics during the COVID pandemic to reach hard-to-access Māori people. Even after starting her undergraduate studies, Brittany kept returning to integrate new experiences, insights, and ideas from Minerva into her work, using her education to address local challenges and enhance community well-being.

The Rhodes Scholarship, a prestigious postgraduate award that promotes leadership, international understanding, and public service, is a natural next step for Brittany. At the University of Oxford, she will pursue a Master of Philosophy in the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology, continuing her work to bring indigenous perspectives to global conversations.

“Oxford, like Minerva, has a global context in which to study. There’s so much opportunity to show up as a Māori scholar, representing my community on a global stage, and bringing indigenous knowledge into a very traditional institution,” Brittany says.

Her mentors at Minerva have been instrumental in her journey. Professor of Arts and Humanities Robert Karl praised her as “one of the most interesting people—not just students—I’ve ever known,” and Head of the Arts and Humanities College, Professor Grace Woods-Puckett, celebrated her dedication and intellectual rigor. The two of them as Brittany’s Capstone advisors recognized her exceptional potential and strongly encouraged her to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship.

For Brittany, the Rhodes Scholarship is more than a personal achievement; it’s a responsibility to her community and a platform to challenge historical narratives. “Seeing how the work I did on my Capstone has made an impact in my community here in New Zealand, I can see clear pathways of how my studying of history is something of benefit to my community who have a lot of missing gaps from our colonial history. I look forward to bringing those stories home,” she reflects.

When asked to share advice with young people, Brittany emphasizes the importance of exploration. “Explore,” she says. She did a lot of that in her life - she moved to London after high school, working as a chef and later as a retail manager, all while holding onto her dream of attending university. All these varied experiences she deeply enjoyed, and they happened because she let herself open to the opportunity to explore. “I really value the courage that the younger me had to explore different ways of living and different places to live. I’m looking forward to exploring more.”

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If you were inspired by Brittany's story and are seeking a college experience that will teach you valuable pragmatic skills that will enable you to change the world, start your Minerva application today.