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Kaylin Casper nominated for a U.S. Rhodes Scholarship

October 1, 2025

Casper-marshall.jpgMSU Sociology senior Kaylin Casper is one of four MSU students nominated for the Rhodes Scholarship, the oldest and perhaps most prestigious international scholarship program. The announcement comes on the heels of Casper's nomination for the Marshall Scholarship.

Earlier this year, Casper was a finalist for the Truman Fellowship. As a junior, she was awarded a Udall Scholarship for future leaders in environmental, Tribal public policy and health care fields.

An Honors College student double-majoring in Sociology through the College of Social Science and Humanities Pre-Law in the College of Arts and Letters, Casper is also pursuing a minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies, and a second minor in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Sexuality Studies – both through the College of Arts and Letters. 

She is also a member of the Social Science Scholars Program and holds multiple leadership positions at MSU, including serving as a general assembly representative for the Associated Students of MSU (ASMSU), a board member for the North American Indigenous Student Organization, and a member of the Land Acknowledgement Plaque Committee. 

The Rhodes Scholarship enables outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford. Thirty-two U.S. Rhodes Scholarships are awarded annually.

The results of this competition will be determined in the coming months. MSU has produced 20 Rhodes Scholars to date. MSU’s nominees for the U.S. Rhodes Scholarship are:

  •  Kaylin Casper, an Honors College fourth-year student majoring in sociology through the College of Social Science and humanities pre-law through the College of Arts and Letters. Casper is from Burbank, California, and attended John Burroughs High School.
  • Elena Forman, an Honors College fourth-year student majoring in arts and humanities through the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities and digital storytelling through the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. Forman is from East Lansing, Michigan, and attended East Lansing High School.
  • Kierra Jursch, an Honors College fourth-year student majoring in biology through Lyman Briggs College and psychology in the College of Social Science. Jursch is from Gladstone, Michigan, and attended Gladstone Area High School.
  • Isabelle Radakovich, an Honors College fourth-year student majoring in international relations as well as political theory and constitutional democracy in James Madison College and French through the College of Arts and Letters. Radakovich is from Cody, Wyoming, and attended Cody High School.