Saad Awan among four KU seniors to compete for Rhodes, Marshall, Churchill scholarships

LAWRENCE — Four University of Kansas seniors have been endorsed for prestigious fellowships for study in the United Kingdom with the support of KU’s Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships. 

Saad Awan, Kaitlyn Carson, Katherine Goodwin and Jaden Huehl have been endorsed for the Marshall scholarship, which provides funding for 1-2 years of graduate study at any university in the United Kingdom.

Carson, Goodwin and Huehl were also endorsed for the Rhodes scholarship, which provides expenses for 1-3 years of study at the University of Oxford in England. 

Awan and Huehl were also endorsed for the Churchill scholarship, which provides tuition and expenses funding for one year of graduate study at the Churchill College at the University of Cambridge in England.   

Regional panels review applications for the Rhodes, Marshall and Churchill scholarship programs. In November, finalists for the Rhodes and Marshall competitions are invited to participate in interviews in Chicago and Kansas City. 

Only U.S. citizens can apply for the Marshall scholarship, while the Rhodes scholarship has 20 constituencies around the world as well as a Global Rhodes Scholarship program. 

KU students have previously won nine Marshall scholarships, 27 Rhodes scholarships and one Churchill scholarship.  

KU’s nominees:

Saad Awan

Saad Awan, from Olathe, is the son of Zainub Bukhari and a graduate of Olathe East High School. Awan is a senior in mathematics. At the University of Cambridge, he would pursue advanced study at the interface of mathematics, physics and computer science through the Part III MASt in Pure Mathematics. He plans to pursue a doctorate in mathematics with the goal of becoming a research scientist working at the interface of quantum computing. Awan is currently conducting research in quantum cryptography under K.C. Kong, KU professor of physics. He has also extensively researched combinatorics under Jeremy Martin, professor of mathematics, working on the unsolved chromatic symmetric function problem. Awan participated in the Polymath Jr. research program in mathematics, where he studied the sizes of integer sets when iteratively added to themselves. He has also participated in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program through North Carolina State University and is continuing his work studying global human migration through Facebook migration data. He was awarded the Black-Babcock and Van Vleck family scholarship by the KU Department of Mathematics for excellence in undergraduate training. He was also awarded departmental honors by the KU mathematics department for exceptional performance in the major, completion of a program of independent research and strong overall academic record. 

Kaitlyn Carson

Kaitlyn Carson, from Altamont, is the daughter of Micheal and Megan Carson and a graduate of Labette County High School. Carson is a first-generation student graduating on a three-year track from the KU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, where she studies political science and global & international studies. Carson is passionate about law and politics and aspires to one day develop and advocate for international human rights law. During her undergraduate education, Carson has served as a United Nations Millennium Fellow, Honors Ambassador, Honors Seminar assistant, Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies Security Affairs Research Fellow and as the Student Alumni Ambassador philanthropy chair. She was one of KU’s Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society junior inductees, recognized for breadth of academics, GPA and meaningful campus involvement.  

Katherine Goodwin

Katherine Goodwin, from Leawood, is the daughter of Susan and Dylan Goodwin and a graduate of Blue Valley North High School. Goodwin is a senior in political science and in women, gender & sexuality studies. She is committed to researching the social and political causes of sexual violence to design social interventions for prevention. Goodwin is the president and founder of the student organization Jayhawks Against Sexual Violence. In that role, she led the initiative to bring consent education to the Blue Valley school district. Through the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault, Goodwin serves community survivors with a trauma-informed lens. In 2026, Goodwin was awarded the Rusty Leffel Concerned Student University Award for her campus activism to bring awareness to sexual assault. She was also awarded an Undergraduate Research Award for her research investigating the shortcomings of Kansas sex education. At the University of Oxford, Goodwin would continue her studies in violence prevention and social interventions. 

Jaden Huehl

Jaden Huehl, from Sylvan Grove, is the daughter of Jennifer and John Huehl and a graduate of Tipton Catholic High School. Huehl is a senior in journalism and secondary English education on the pre-law track, maintaining a 4.0 GPA in both programs. Her academic and extracurricular work centers on the intersection of education, journalism, human rights and advocacy for children. Huehl was selected as a United Nations Millennium Fellow and received a Trailblazers Mini-Grant to develop LiftED, an initiative addressing educational inequities among foster youth. She has also volunteered extensively with organizations supporting children and families, including Foster Village and Home Works USA. At KU, Huehl has served on the NSSE 2024 Advisory Committee and KU Civic Engagement Leadership Council and is a member of Mortar Board, Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Tau Alpha and the University Scholars Program. She received Kappa Tau Alpha’s Top Scholar Award for the highest-class ranking, and her journalism work has received multiple honors from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. Her journalism experience spans reporting, producing and multimedia storytelling. She covers legal affairs, university policy and local government for the University Daily Kansan, and she produces and hosts “Crimson Chat.” She has also produced “Good Morning Indian Country” and gained professional broadcast experience with WIBW-TV and multimedia experience with the Beli4ve Foundation. After graduation, Huehl plans to pursue graduate study before attending law school and ultimately becoming a children’s rights attorney. She hopes to begin her legal career working directly with children and families before moving into legislative and social policy work focused on improving the systems that affect children. 

More about applying

The Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships (CURF), a unit of Undergraduate Education in Academic Affairs, coordinates KU's endorsement process and supports candidates as they work through applications. Faculty Fellows Phillip Drake, Jonathan Lamb and Stacey Vanderhurst advised the nominees on the application process.

KU students interested in applying for the Rhodes, Marshall or Churchill scholarship programs are encouraged to contact CURF by email at curf@ku.edu. Depending on other eligibility requirements, students may apply for these awards as graduating seniors or recent graduates. The next university application deadline for these awards is May 19, 2027.