(Clockwise from top left: Robert A. Fisher, Sarah E. Yerima, Rachel V. Harmon, Tayo A. Sanders II, and Ridwan Y. Hassen)

Last month, the Rhodes Trust announced the 32 American students chosen to receive the highest honor of studying at Oxford University as Rhodes Scholars. Of this year’s group, 5 are African-American — Robert A. Fisher, Rachel V. Harmon, Ridwan Y. Hassen, Tayo A. Sanders II, and Sarah E. Yerima.

The Rhodes Trust was formed in 1902. In 1907, Alain LeRoy Locke, a influential literary figure in the Harlem Renaissance, became the first African-American named as a Rhodes Scholar. Over 50 years later, in 1962, another Rhodes Scholar was named — John Edgar Wideman. Wideman is a respected author and professor at Brown University. In 1978 Karen Stevenson became the first African-American woman to be selected as a Rhodes Scholar.

For a more information on this year’s group of scholars, head over to The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.