CHARLESTON, W.Va. –A University of Charleston senior and Hurricane native has been named a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.

Maliah McCann-Coles

Maliah McCann-Coles was announced as a finalist on Wednesday. The scholarship, established in 1902, is a fully funded postgraduate award that gives exceptional students from around the world the opportunity to pursue full-time study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

As a finalist, McCann-Coles will travel to Detroit, Michigan, for final interviews on November 14 and 15, where she will compete against 13 other finalists for two Rhodes Scholarships allocated to her regional district, which includes West Virginia.

She said that to prepare for the interview, she has been reviewing her application and will participate in mock interviews.

“Some professors and colleagues of my professors are going to ask me questions based off of my application and we just try to practice,” McCann-Coles said. “You don’t really know what they’re going to ask you or what type of conversations that you’re going to have, but being in the mind-set of being ready for everything is really important.”

She said that as part of the application process, applicants must submit an area of study they would pursue if selected to attend Oxford. She explained that she hopes to study evidence-based social interventions and policy evaluation in conjunction with economic development.

McCann-Coles said she hopes to use that knowledge to help bring positive change to the Mountain State and beyond.

“Growing up in West Virginia and Appalachia, I’ve seen how our communities struggle and I would like to bring change to places like Hurricane and West Virginia but also around the world, but I want to do it in a way that is sustainable and long-lasting,” she said.

She said there isn’t an exact science to being selected as a finalist, but having strong community ties was helpful in the application process.

“Being really involved with campus and the community helps. I’m also an athlete, I run on the track team and I’m a cheerleader, of course you’ve got to get good grades but having those connections around campus and in the community is really important,” McCann-Coles said.

She said it’s an honor to have been chosen as a finalist.

“It’s really huge to me,” she said. “When I submitted my application with my professors, I just mentally put that part away I didn’t even consider it a possibility, but it’s been such an honor to think someone like me could get that far, it’s really insane to think about.”

McCann-Coles is the second University of Charleston student to be named a Rhodes Scholar finalist.