Rotimi Kukoyi ’26 named Rhodes Scholar

By UNC Office of Distinguished Scholarships, posted on unc.edu on November 17, 2025.

For the second time ever, UNC–Chapel Hill has three Rhodes Scholars in the same year.

Rotimi Kukoyi ’26 received the honor on Saturday, alongside fellow Carolina seniors Tiana Dinham and Gabrielle Moreau. With fifty-seven recipients in its history, UNC–Chapel Hill is now the No. 1 public university for Rhodes Scholars. Rotimi is Morehead-Cain’s thirty-sixth Rhodes Scholar.

“On behalf of the University, I am delighted to congratulate our newest Rhodes Scholars, Tiana Dinham, Rotimi Kukoyi, and Gabrielle Moreau,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “They embody Carolina’s mission through their commitment to service and meaningful impact. This recognition reflects their exceptional promise and dedication to using their talents for the greater good.”

Rotimi is from Hoover, Alabama, and won a Rhodes Scholarship for the U.S. constituency. He is majoring in health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, with minors in chemistry and biology. In addition to being an Honors Carolina student, he is senior class president, a Truman Scholar, and a Jeopardy! champion.

A public health leader, Rotimi has worked for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Nigeria. On campus, he holds leadership roles with Campus Health and the UNC Student Health Action Coalition. At Oxford, he will pursue the Master of Science in health improvement and evaluation and the Master of Science in evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation.

“Being selected as a Rhodes Scholar is one of the greatest honors of my life,” Rotimi said. “At Oxford, I will study how we build health systems that prevent harm before it happens.”

Established in 1902, the Rhodes Scholarship provides fully funded graduate study at the University of Oxford and is considered one of the world’s most prestigious academic awards.