Brinkmann

For her studies in quieting wind turbines and making other forms of renewable energy more competitive, Selina Brinkmann has been awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University in the U.K.

In October, Selina Brinkmann will start four years of study, all expenses paid, courtesy of the Rhodes program that awards a mere 102 scholarships each year to academically outstanding applicants around the world.

Brinkmann told VOA she is passionate about renewable energy and has focused her research on desalinating farm wastewater in the agriculturally lush Central Valley of California.

Prior to UC-Merced, Brinkmann attended the University of Siegen in Germany and spent a year in the U.S. at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma.

Brinkmann said that her parents were very supportive of her and her three siblings growing up. They expected her to achieve, but weren’t strict about it, she said.

After graduating high school in Germany, Brinkmann spent a year in Edinburgh, Scotland, before attending the University of Siegen.

“I went to my local university and I stayed at home, which was nice,” Brinkmann said. “It allowed me to save up money for traveling and doing my own hobbies.”

Brinkmann is excited for the opportunity, but acknowledged how daunting studying at Oxford is.