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Wolmers’ Boys Past Student is 2023 Rhodes Scholar

By: , November 11, 2022
Wolmers’ Boys Past Student is 2023 Rhodes Scholar
Photo: Adrian Walker
Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen (left), with 2023 Rhodes Scholar for Jamaica, David Salmon, following the announcement ceremony at King’s House on November 10.
Wolmers’ Boys Past Student is 2023 Rhodes Scholar
Photo: Adrian Walker
2023 Rhodes Scholar for Jamaica, David Salmon receives a warm embrace from his mother Donnahue Rhoden Salmon, following the announcement ceremony at King’s House on November 10.
Wolmers’ Boys Past Student is 2023 Rhodes Scholar
Photo: Adrian Walker
2023 Rhodes Scholar for Jamaica, David Salmon laughs while his mother Donnahue Rhoden Salmon, shares the news of his achievements, following the announcement ceremony at King’s House on November 10.

The Full Story

Twenty-two-year-old David Rhoden Salmon is the 2023 Rhodes Scholar for Jamaica.

He was one of 11 candidates – seven males and four females – who vied for the highly acclaimed scholarship award this year.

The announcement was made on Thursday (Nov.10) by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, during a brief ceremony at King’s House after a full day of interviews of the candidates.

A former student of Wolmer’s Boys School in Kingston, Mr. Salmon has an undergraduate degree in Public Policy and Management with a Minor in International Relations from the University of the West Indies (UWI).

He is pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge after receiving the HRH Prince of Wales Scholarship.

As the 2023 Rhodes Scholar, Mr. Salmon will head to Oxford University in the United Kingdom (UK) to study for a Doctor of Philosophy.

He will join more than 100 scholars from around the world to undertake fully sponsored postgraduate studies and become part of a global community of people determined to make a positive difference in the world.

Mr. Salmon has an impressive résumé of accomplishments, including as founder of the New Jamaica Foundation, which is an organisation dedicated to promoting youth development.

He was a recipient of the Governor-General Achievement Award for the parish of St. Andrew in 2021, for academic performance and community involvement, as well as the Prime Minister National Youth Award for nation building in 2019.

In his remarks, the Governor-General noted that the selection committee had difficulty choosing the winner from among “an outstanding group of scholars”.

“By far, for the past 14 years, I have been chairing the committee and it has never been so difficult. It was a walk in the park in former years in comparison to what we had to do this year,” he said.

He encouraged the other candidates to try again. “Don’t give up, never give up,” he said.

In an interview following the announcement, Mr. Salmon said that being named the 2023 Rhodes Scholar was a dream come true, noting that the opportunity will better enable him to give back to the country.

“This is something that I have aspired for since I was 15 when my alma mater, Wolmer’s Boy’s School, had its last Rhodes Scholar, Tariq Parker. He came to our school and gave an address and I looked up to him from then and said, ‘I want to be like this person in the future’,” he noted.

Mr. Salmon said the “phenomenal group of candidates” embody all the ideals of the Rhodes Scholarship, among them courage, excellence and leadership.

“It’s a very indescribable feeling because I am humbled being among such amazing individuals. We had the opportunity to interact and I am confident that I have met several lifelong friends,” he noted.

Beaming with joy, Mr. Salmon’s mother, Donnahue Rhoden Salmon expressed how proud she was of her son. “You did it,” she exclaimed as she embraced him.

The Rhodes Scholarship, based at the University of Oxford since 1903, is the world’s pre-eminent and oldest graduate fellowship.

It has been awarded to one outstanding applicant from Jamaica every year since 1904.

The Rhodes selection process aims to choose young people with proven academic excellence who also show exceptional character, leadership, the energy to use their talents to the full, and a commitment to solving humanity’s challenges.

The selection procedure includes a meticulous review process before the finalist interview by a selection committee comprised of renowned experts and leaders in diverse fields.

Rhodes Scholars form a lifelong community of people in many fields and careers, united by a commitment to having a positive impact on the world. Scholars from Jamaica have gone on to pursue careers in fields ranging from politics to neuroscience.

Prominent Jamaican Rhodes Scholars include Norman Manley, Noel Nethersole, Rex Nettleford, Dudley Thompson and Hector Wynter.

Living Jamaican Rhodes Scholars include former President of the Court of Appeal, Hon. Dennis Morrison; former Poet-Laureate of Jamaica, Hon. Mervyn Morris; former Governor of the Bank of Jamaica, Roderick Rainford; Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck; Minister of Finance and Public Service, Hon. Dr. Nigel Clarke; former Minister of Education, Ronald Thwaites; and Principal Director, National Integrity Action, Professor Trevor Munroe.

Last Updated: November 11, 2022

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