PROVO -- A seventh-grade filmstrip on Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" narrated in Middle English ignited a passion in Ryan M. Rowberry that will propel him to the great poet's homeland as a Rhodes scholar.
"It struck a chord in me. I enjoyed it. I began to read up on it. Now, I've become more Anglo-Saxonized, I guess," said the unassuming Brigham Young University senior.Rowberry, of Henderson, Nev., is among 32 American college students who will enroll at the University of Oxford in England next year on a Rhodes scholarship. The prestigious scholarship is the oldest of the international study awards available to students in the United States.
An English major, Rowberry, 23, has a particular interest in medieval literature and history, with a special focus on Chaucer.
"My study of Anglo-Saxon culture and medieval studies is tailor-made for Oxford," said Rowberry, who will study for a master's in philosophy. "All of the ancient manuscripts that I'll need for my studies will be right there."
Rowberry credits his parents, David and Janis Rowberry, his professors and teachers and his friends for helping him achieve the high point of his ongoing academic career. He plans to become a professor of Anglo-Saxon and medieval studies.
"The Rhodes scholarship is not life. It's a steppingstone. People are what life is all about," he said. "Because people have a desire to learn, I feel that if I can help light that spark in others, they'll be able to take themselves places."
Paul Thomas, a BYU associate professor of English who made Rowberry the supervisor of his "Canterbury Tales" project, is impressed with the student's ability to learn quickly.
'The Rhodes honor is given to those people who will make a difference, and Ryan is one of those people," he said.
John Tanner, BYU English Department chairman, called Rowberry an outstanding student who is well prepared for Oxford.
Rowberry, who graduates from BYU next April, carries a 3.99 grade-point average, an A-minus in a creative writing class being the only blemish on otherwise perfect marks. In high school, Rowberry had a 4.0 GPA, though he scored a pedestrian 29 on the ACT.
"I've come to find out those standardized tests are not my cup of tea," he said. Rowberry prefers oral exams, which is a major part of the Rhodes selection process.
State and regional selection committees interviewed candidates last Wednesday and Saturday, respectively. Rowberry said many of the questions centered on ethics.
"They asked if I would impeach President Clinton," he said.
His answer? In short, yes. Rowberry said there's no question in his mind that Clinton committed perjury and that the president is not above the law.
The committee also quizzed Rowberry about his service as an LDS Church missionary in Germany where he worked with Nigerian political refugees and was an ecclesiastical leader in a town in which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened a new branch.
In addition to his academic prowess, Rowberry also played basketball and ran track in high school. He's active in intramural sports at BYU.
The Rhodes Scholarship Trust chose the 32 recipients from 909 applicants nationwide based on criteria established in 1902 in the will of Cecil Rhodes, a British philanthropist and colonial pioneer. Requirements include high academic achievement, integrity of character, a spirit of unselfishness, respect for others, potential for leadership and physical vigor.
Rowberry is the first BYU student since 1991 to receive the award and the only Utah college student to win this year.