UCF’s first Rhodes Scholar visits campus

Dr. Tyler Fisher visits UCF Burnett Honors College students at the Fairwinds Alumni Center
Brian Dominguez
Knightly News

UCF alumni and Rhodes Scholar Dr. Tyler Fisher traveled from London to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary. He met with students and staff on campus, giving advice on how another student can become the second Rhodes Scholar in UCF history.

Back in 2002 UCF Burnett Honors student Tyler Fisher became the University’s first and only Rhodes Scholar. The scholarship allows 32 American students a year to continue their postgraduate career at the University of Oxford according to the Rhodes scholar website. With the scholarship, it allowed Tyler Fisher to travel to London and study for his Masters in European Literature.

Dr. Fisher currently teaches at several universities in London, including the University of Oxford. He came to visit UCF this week to partake in several activities for the university’s 50th anniversary. Dr. Fisher described his visit to UCF so far,”It’s been an excellent visit and the university has just welcomed me in a way that I was not even expecting.” He also added that he had dinner at President Hitt’s house and saw his old professors that helped him in his undergraduate career.

Dr. Fisher was inspired to compete for the Rhodes Scholarship from an administrator’s speech in freshman orientation. The administrator advised them that even though your only freshmen, keep in mind that there are some pretty major scholarships, like the Rhodes Scholarship that you can apply for when you get to your senior year. “I took that to heart and I fortunately didn’t make it a big deal, I was preparing for it but at the same time I was prepared not to get the scholarship as well,” Fisher said.

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