Somesh Sharma, a past student of St Ann’s Bay High and York Castle High schools, is Jamaica’s 2027 Rhodes scholar.

The 22-year-old, whose face lit up when his selection was announced at King’s House in St Andrew, edged out seven other candidates who are past students of some of the island’s top secondary schools, among them Kingston College, Immaculate High, Campion College, and Titchfield High.

“I am feeling very happy, elated. I can’t believe it; that’s why my face was so surprised. So I’m very thankful that I received this award. It’s been an incredible journey,” Sharma told the
Jamaica Observer after being named and congratulated by Custos of Kingston Steadman Fuller.

Declaring respect for all the candidates, Sharma said: “I really wish there was more than one award, because they are stellar performers.”

He then called his mother and shared the news.

Born and raised in the community of Exchange in St Ann, Sharma completed his sixth form education at York Castle then attended The University of the West Indies, where he recently completed his studies, acquiring a bachelor of science degree in medical physics with first class honours.

He told the Observer that his desire to mend “the existing gaps in the country’s health-care system” was what sparked his interest in the scholarship, which will send him to University of Oxford.

“My grandmother had a lot of problems at the St Ann’s Bay Hospital when she had a heart attack during COVID, so I witnessed her first-hand, facing a lot of trauma because of that, and I saw the same thing with my community members, my friends, and people on the news,” Sharma said.

“It’s a very common problem, so I hope to fix that gap. Seeing her in that situation and her not getting the treatment that she should have received, that really pushed me towards going into the health-care system more. I had that dream beforehand a bit, but that drastically improved that motivation,” he continued, adding that he will be pursuing an MSc in Medical Physics with Radiobiology and Applied Digital Health at Oxford.

Joel Dixon (right) congratulates Somesh Sharma after he was named Jamaica’s 2027 Rhodes Scholar at King’s House on Thursday. At centre is Custos of Kingston Steadman Fuller who made the announcement. Dixon was one of the other candidates for the scholarship. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

“In the public sector we can benefit from a higher grade of technology when it comes to equipment efficiency, imaging modalities, MRI, CT scans. We don’t have much of those machines, and the machines we do have, they can be outdated depending on where you’re visiting — if it’s a rural area or a public or private [facility],” Sharma said.

“So there are definitely gaps. And once we identify them… and we agree that there is a problem, that’s the only way we can solve the problem. At least step by step, by attending Oxford University, the world’s most renowned university for medicine,” he said.

“I want to come back to Jamaica with the skills that I [will acquire] at Oxford. Just like the past Rhodes scholars, I want to come back to the country. And just like they’ve improved our region so much, I want to try to be like them. I want to improve our region and our country as well. In my case, it’s the health sector. In their case, it was policies. So that’s the primary aim we always have,” he added.

Prominent Jamaican Rhodes scholars include National Hero Norman Manley, Noel Nethersole, Rex Nettleford, Dudley Thompson, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck, former Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke, and former Education Minister Ronald Thwaites.

Secretary of the selection committee Mariame McIntosh Robinson told the Observer that she was very impressed with the this year’s applicants, adding that they received 44 submissions with a wide variety of fields, not the usual politics and climate change.

“I was actually impressed with the level of the technical subjects,” McIntosh Robinson said, adding that the committee examines four criteria — academic performance; community impact, the ability to have an impact on others; the ability to use hobbies or talents to the fullest; and leadership.

“So what is good about the scholarship is not just about academics, it’s also about being a well-rounded individual who wants to see their community, their nation, be a better place,” she said.

The Rhodes Scholarship was first awarded in 1902 after the death and reading of the will of Cecil John Rhodes. The first cohort of scholars entered University of Oxford in 1904.