COLTS NECK – Christopher D’Urso will attend and study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, in 2018 after earning a Rhodes Scholarship.
D’Urso is a Colts Neck native, an alumni of the Colts Neck K-8 School District and a 2014 graduate of Colts Neck High School, where he was the class valedictorian.
He expects to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa., in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations with a minor in Hispanic Studies, and a Master of Public Administration degree with a certificate in politics through the university’s Fels Institute of Government.
“Ever since I was 8 years old when I visited Washington, D.C., for the first time, I have had a strong passion for law and politics,” D’Urso said. “When I was in third grade, instead of watching ‘SpongeBob’ (cartoons) like my friends, I would watch ‘The People’s Court.’ My goal is to attend law school after the Rhodes Scholarship with the hope of becoming a federal prosecutor and ultimately entering national politics.”
Beginning in the summer after his junior year of high school, D’Urso interned for three years as an investigative aide for the Monmouth County Department of Consumer Affairs.
“I worked on cases after superstorm Sandy and witnessed the most vulnerable in our society being taken advantage of by fraudsters,” he said. “As a result of that experience, I developed a passion for consumer protection which I have continued to pursue in college by founding Penn CASE, a community service organization which has provided consumer assistance, support and education to over 1,700 Philadelphia residents. These experiences have only reinforced my commitment to become a prosecutor and policymaker.”
The Rhodes Scholarship will provide all of D’Urso’s expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford.
According to the organization’s website, in 2017, more than 2,500 students sought their institution’s endorsement and 866 students were endorsed by 299 colleges and universities.
D’Urso said administrators at Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships recommended that he apply for the scholarship.
During the summer he began working on his application which included a 1,000-word personal statement, his resume and eight letters of recommendation, including five letters from professors. He submitted his application to Penn by mid-August.
D’Urso was eventually selected as one of 14 finalists from a region that consisted of New Jersey, Connecticut and New Hampshire. Following an interview with a panel of seven judges, six of whom were former Rhodes Scholars, he was informed he had been awarded the scholarship.
“As I began the process, I knew the chances were extremely slim at about 1 percent and I did not expect to win,” he said. “After the interviews and the judges’ deliberations, the judges asked all of the finalists to line up and they announced the winners in person.
“When I heard my name called I was so shocked that I couldn’t help but let out a gasp. It has truly been such a surreal experience, a feeling which has still not fully worn off.
“When I look back on that day, I find it difficult to describe the overwhelming flood of emotions I experienced. I realized my life would be changed forever by the opportunity to study at Oxford and join the amazing community of fellow Rhodes Scholars.
“Above all, it has been incredibly gratifying for the years of hard work to pay off and I cannot wait to see where this extraordinary adventure will take me,” D’Urso said.