The following was published in UChicago News on November 17, 2024.

By Colin Terrill

Francesco Rahe, a fourth-year student in the College at the University of Chicago, has been selected as a 2025 Rhodes Scholar. He will pursue a master’s degree in classical Indian religions at Oxford University this fall and is particularly interested in translating Sanskrit texts. 

He is the 55th student from the University of Chicago to be named a Rhodes Scholar. Fourth-year College student Anqi Qu was named a Rhodes Scholar for South Africa last week.

“It means an immense amount to have received this opportunity,” said Rahe, who is majoring in fundamentals and religious studies. “I’m honestly a little stunned, but I also am trying to focus on making good on this opportunity. It’s a gift, but it also comes with responsibilities. I want to make sure what I do in the future is able to repay this thousand-fold.”

Rahe hopes to address interreligious divides through his studies. A Catholic himself, he believes that faiths become stronger when put in conversation with each other, and as an avid writer—Rahe is now working on his 13th novel—he feels that literature is one of the most powerful means of creating such conversations. He said that less than 3% of books published in the U.S. annually are translated—meaning that, from Rahe’s perspective, many of the most valuable interreligious conversations never happen in the first place. He hopes to change this by becoming a literary translator.

Having spent a summer with the American Institute for Indian Studies translating Sanskrit, Rahe will use his time studying at the University of Oxford to connect with UK-based organizations and learn more techniques to translate Sanskrit literary texts. He hopes to also continue building his fluency in Persian, which he has studied at UChicago with UChicago scholar Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi. Rahe plans to eventually unite the two languages by studying the Mughal Empire-era translation of Sanskrit texts into Persian.

“When we’re only reading literature from our own language and the perspective of our own belief system, this leaves us vulnerable to misinformation about other groups,” said Rahe. “I want to fight back against those kinds of divisions by increasing the number of accessible translations of religious texts, so that everyone can have access to the vast and beautiful corpus of literary works situated within religious traditions.”

“Francesco exhibits uncommon character, with enormous potential to drive meaningful change and foster mutual understanding in a world where too often we focus on what makes us different,” said Melina Hale, dean of the College. “He’s an amazing representative of the College, proof of our students’ ability to make a mark on the world. We’re so proud of him and this honor.”

Building bridges

The Hillsdale, Mich. native believes that literature from different cultural and religious traditions has the power to break through even the most insular of communities. His time in and outside of the classroom has focused on breaking down barriers and building bridges between individuals, texts, and communities.

Rahe also started an RSO to address religious divides known as CULT (Critical Understanding of Liturgies and Traditions), which brings together many different perspectives about the study of religion. The organization hosts movie nights, faculty panels, student discussions and more on a range of topics. A recent event on modern masculinity featured a panel with members of the Catholic, LDS, Quaker and Pagan religious communities.

“Francesco is a person of boundless intellectual curiosity with a truly staggering array of humanistic resources at his fingertips. No student I have encountered more clearly embodies UChicago’s commitment to free inquiry,” said Ryan Coyne, associate professor of the philosophy of religions and theology at UChicago. “An extraordinary academic talent, he has worked extensively on campus, and beyond it, to foster informed dialogue and debate on a range of pressing issues. Our political landscape is rife with divisions. Francesco possesses the courage, fortitude and broadmindedness needed to bridge those divisions.”

The Rhodes Scholar application process is intensive, and Rahe credits his friends, who helped him throughout “via lots of coffee, listening ears and general encouragement,” as well as his parents.

Rahe was supported by the fellowships team at the College Center for Research and Fellowships, which guides candidates through rigorous application processes and interview preparation for nationally competitive awards like the Rhodes. The CCRF team helps students like Rahe identify and articulate how their unique talents and distinctive paths prepare them to realize a better world. Additional support is provided by the Marshall, Mitchell and Rhodes faculty nomination committee; its ongoing service is a critical part of student success at the national level.