Irena Petryk ’23 named a Rhodes Scholar

Northwestern University student Irena Petryk has been named a 2023 Rhodes Scholar. Petryk is majoring in economics and international studies, and interested in U.S. foreign policy and strengthening international commitments on economic development.

The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest and perhaps best-known award for international study, provide all expenses for multiple years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Scholars are chosen not only for exceptional academic achievement but also a demonstrated ambition for social impact.

This year, Petryk is one of 32 Rhodes Scholars selected from the U.S. With these latest elections, 3,610 Americans now have won Rhodes Scholarships, representing 327 colleges and universities.

Through her research at Northwestern, Petryk uses quantitative analysis techniques with detailed data from Thailand as she seeks to understand how poor households in developing countries respond to difficult events like floods and family illness, and how communities come together to help each other out, according to her advisor Lori Beaman, a professor of economics at the Weinberg College.

“We are thrilled to see a Weinberg College student recognized as a Rhodes Scholar,” said Dean Adrian Randolph. “Irena’s service, work and vision for the future embody the mindset at the College — to not only understand the pressing issues our world faces today but to transform them into promising new opportunities for the future.”

Read more in the article “‘Natural diplomat’ Irena Petryk named a 2023 Rhodes Scholar” at Northwestern Now.