'Amazing testament': FSU grad earns Rhodes Scholar finalist status
Florida State University alumnus Daniel Zuniga gets on his phone as soon as he wakes up every morning to plan out his day.
But a couple of weeks ago, he did not expect to read an email notification where he was named a Rhodes Scholar finalist.
“It was a pleasant surprise,” said 22-year-old Zuniga, who currently lives in the Lake Worth Beach area but was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia.
He moved to the United States with his parents when he was 15 years old and graduated summa cum laude from FSU with a bachelor’s degree in cell and molecular neuroscience in the spring.
“I was shocked and honestly don’t remember anything that happened in the next few minutes since I was quite excited to have the opportunity to move on to the interview phase,” Zuniga added.
Other FSU news: FSU 'love ambassador’ Eva Killings touches lives for decades, despite hardships
The Rhodes Scholarship, created in 1902, is the world’s oldest and most celebrated international fellowship award, which selects scholars based on academic achievements, character, leadership qualities and commitment to others.
The fully funded, postgraduate award also requires an application process that takes several months and gives chosen scholars the opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Although Zuniga underwent a 20-minute interview session for the scholarship Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama — where he says finalists gathered in a room for over 12 hours during the intense process — he was not one of the 32 U.S. college students selected for the fund this year.
But he still views the accomplishment of being named a finalist as a meaningful one, especially considering his personal experience as an immigrant where he faced the challenge of learning English as a second language.
The last time that the FSU had a Rhodes Scholar finalist was five years ago, according to a university release.
“It meant a lot to be able to represent FSU at that level,” Zuniga said.
Related news: Maclay alum named Rhodes Scholar
FSU has only had five Rhodes Scholars in its history — Frederick William Buchholtz in 1905, Caroline Alexander in 1976, Garrett Johnson in 2006, FSU Associate Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies Joe O’Shea in 2008 and Myron Rolle in 2009.
Out of all the Rhodes Scholar finalists from Florida, Zuniga says he was the only one that went to a public state university while many others attended Ivy League institutions such as Harvard University or Yale University.
Craig Filar, FSU’s associate dean for Undergraduate Studies and director of the Office of National Fellowships, says he is proud of how well Zuniga represented the FSU community in the national competition.
“I have had the opportunity to work with Daniel for over three years now and have seen him grow into a phenomenal young man,” Filar told the Tallahassee Democrat. “To see his work recognized by the Rhodes Trust is such an amazing testament to his impact as a scholar and a leader.”
While attending FSU, Zuniga participated in research projects that include topics such as synthetic biology, space medicine, neuroscience and population health.
He also worked with Honduran physicians to gather and analyze data about gastrointestinal diseases in rural Honduras through the FSU College of Medicine’s Global Health Collaborative Project.
Zuniga is currently taking a gap year but is also applying for medical school and hopes to train as a physician to work with people who have challenges accessing health care.
He has interviewed for over 10 schools, already receiving acceptance letters from some of them — including FSU's College of Medicine — and plans to start at his chosen school in August 2024.
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat using the link at the top of the page.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU graduate Daniel Zuniga named Rhodes Scholar finalist
