A Newsletter for Friends and Alumni of the University of Washington
Up Close with the UW’s Newest Rhodes Scholar, Eliana Hechter

University of Washington senior Eliana Hechter is getting a first-hand look at the life of a professor from her office in Padelford Hall, where she’s gathering up a stack of student papers to grade over the weekend. She’s 18 years old and a teaching assistant for honors accelerated advanced calculus — and she’s recently been named the second-youngest Rhodes Scholar in the history of the award. But she’s quick to dispel stereotypes of the brainy math whiz, assuring a visitor that she still finds time for “normal” things, like Pilates and cooking and ultimate Frisbee.

Entering the UW as a 14 year old through the Halbert and Nancy Robinson Center for Young Scholars might have been an intimidating experience, but Hechter thrived in this supportive community of bright, ambitious teenagers, outstanding educators, and opportunities for intense discovery. With interests in math, computer science, computational biology and many other areas, Hechter found a whole lot to explore at the University. She performed undergraduate research in computational biology at Friday Harbor Labs, studied creative writing at the UW Rome Center, and danced with the UW Dance Program. In the end, all roads led to math — and to Oxford. When she travels abroad in September with the newest crop of Rhodes Scholars, she knows where her focus will lie.

“I think all disciplines are equally difficult and it’s just a question of what you want to spend your time doing,” she says. “I have found that I can spend more time doing math than anything else.” As for her plans after completing her doctoral studies at Oxford, she says, “That all seems so far away.” But gathering up her papers and reaching for the lights, she adds, “The life of a professor is looking pretty good right now.”

Hechter’s UW study has been supported by a National Merit Award, the Mary Gates Endowment for Students, the Goldwater Scholarship, Phelps Fellowship, and a NASA Space Grant, among many other honors.

Return to Spring 2006 Campaign Newsletter