Senior Hadi Kamara Wins Rhodes Scholarship

Hadi Kamara ’26, a politics major and U.S. Air Force veteran from Alexandria, Virginia, has been named a 2026 Rhodes scholar and will pursue a master’s in international relations from the University of Oxford next fall. 

In 2022, Kamara, a first-generation college student, received his associate’s degree in business administration and management from Northern Virginia Community College, and he entered Princeton as a transfer student the same year, according to his LinkedIn. In the spring of his junior year, Kamara spent a semester studying abroad at Oxford, and he previously spent a semester at the University of Sydney. According to Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), Kamara also studied at Maseno University in Kenya for two summers. 

Last summer, Kamara served as a policy advisory intern in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO Policy as a Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative fellow. 

Prior to his embarking on his postsecondary education, Kamara served as a crew chief on C-130 aircraft for the U.S. Air Force and received six awards during his military service, including a humanitarian service medal, according to the University’s announcement. 

“Hadi and his fellow student veterans play an invaluable role on our campus by exemplifying Princeton’s informal motto, ‘in the nation’s service and the service of humanity,’” said Jacob Shapiro, a professor at SPIA who advised Kamara’s junior paper, in the University announcement. 

In addition to being a member of Princeton Student Veterans and the Princeton Transfer Association, Kamara is involved with the Princeton African Students Association and Princeton Pre-Law Society. He is also an outreach coordinator for the Princeton Black Student Union. 

Kamara plans to pursue a law degree and career in foreign policy in the U.S. after studying at Oxford, according to the University. 

“Being a Rhodes Scholar with a nontraditional background is especially impactful for me,” Kamara told the University. “I hope that my achievement can inspire other nontraditional students, whether they are veterans or community college students, to apply and compete at the highest levels.” 

Kamara is the second Princeton senior to be named to the class of 2026 Rhodes scholars. Isam Mina ’26, a molecular biology major from Amman, Jordan, was previously announced as an international recipient from the region that includes Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. 

The Rhodes scholarship program is merit-based and fully funds at least two years of postgraduate studies “with the purpose of developing public-spirited leaders, and to promote international understanding and peace through an international community of Scholars,” according to the organization’s website. The award also includes an annual stipend and flights to and from the United Kingdom.