Northwestern alumna Sarah Smierciak (WCAS ’11) received a 2012 Rhodes Scholarship on Saturday and will pursue a Masters of Philosophy in development studies at Oxford University, according to a University press release.

The Rhodes Trust, established in 1902, awards 32 scholarships annually to American students who distinguish themselves through commitment to academic excellence, athletic achievement, devotion to the common good and capacity for leadership, according to the Trust’s website.

Smierciak is the first NU Rhodes Scholar since 2009.

Smierciak, who double-majored in history and Middle East language and civilization at NU , was elected to Phi Beta Kappa during her junior year and eventually graduated summa cum laude.

Although she said she hopes to use her Oxford degree to work in Middle Eastern development, Smierciak only discovered her interest in the region while studying at Northwestern.

“It’s the typical Northwestern story,” said Diana Smierciak, Sarah’s mother. “She went in pre-med, and then she took a class on the Middle East, just because she was curious, and it captivated her.”

Over the course of her NU career, Smierciak studied with Carl Petry, an NU professor of history and specialist on the Islamic world, as well as political scientist and former University president Henry Bienen. Her senior thesis, on the relationship between former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Egyptian communist groups, received departmental honors, according to the press release.

Smierciak moved to Cairo in the summer of 2010 and studied Arabic at the University of Damascus in Syria. While living in the region, she developed a close attachment to the people she met, her mother said.

“She met the people, and she was totally taken with them,” Diana Smierciak said. “She started tutoring children when a cab driver in a cafe asked her to teach his children English.”

Sarah Smierciak is now an educational consultant for FACE for Children in Need and works as a teacher and organizer at a school in Cairo that is recognized by the United Nations, according to the press release.

The application process for the Rhodes Scholarship, which required up to eight letters of recommendation as well as a personal essay and an official endorsement from NU, began while Smierciak was living in Cairo. She did not receive word of her acceptance until more than a year later.

“She called us and said, ‘Well, I’m calling to hear you scream.’ And I did,” Diana Smierciak said.

Sarah Smierciak could not be immediately reached for comment.

– Chris Meyer