UC Senior Maliah McCann-Coles Named Rhodes Scholar Finalist

McCann-Coles Heading to Detroit in November for Final Interviews

CHARLESTON, WV, November 5, 2025 - University of Charleston senior Maliah McCann-Coles has been named a Rhodes Scholar Finalist, placing her among the nation's top students competing for the world's most prestigious academic honor.

The Rhodes Scholarship, established in 1902, is a fully funded postgraduate award that enables exceptional students from around the world to pursue full-time study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Past Rhodes Scholars include former President Bill Clinton, Supreme Court justices, Pulitzer Prize winners, and leaders across every field. Rhodes Scholars spend two or more years at Oxford, where they may study nearly any full-time postgraduate degree.

McCann-Coles is just the second University of Charleston student to advance to the Rhodes Scholar finalist stage, joining Ryan Moran, who reached this level in 2012.

McCann-Coles will travel to Detroit, Michigan, November 14-15 for the final round of interviews, where she will compete against 13 other finalists for two Rhodes Scholarships allocated to her regional district, which includes West Virginia.

With only 32 American students selected as Rhodes Scholars each year out of approximately 103 awarded worldwide, she now stands at the threshold of one of academia's highest honors.

A native of Hurricane, West Virginia, McCann-Coles will graduate this spring with degrees in Political Science and Business Administration, majoring in Management with concentrations in Business Analytics and Accounting.

She is a Presidential Scholar, a member of the UC Honors College, the cheerleading squad, a sprinter on the track and field team, and a student government representative. Last spring, she was named the inaugural Rita Avashia Fellow in Honors, recognizing her academic excellence, leadership, and commitment to community.

Rhodes Scholars are selected based on the following ideals:

• Academic excellence and intellectual curiosity.
• Energy to use one's talents to the fullest, often shown through success in sports, the arts, or teamwork.
• Truth, courage, kindness, and devotion to duty, especially in service to others.
• Strength of character and leadership, with an instinct to make a positive difference in the world.