Chris Joseph ’08

On Nov. 22, the California selection committee for the Rhodes Trust announced that two Bruins, Scott Hugo '09 and Christopher Joseph '08, would receive the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest and best-known award for international study.

Chris Joseph ’08 earned his degree in geography, with an emphasis on the social and scientific causes of deforestation, and a 3.95 GPA. The Santa Barbara native has participated in ecological and geographic research in Brazil, arctic Canada, Morocco and Micronesia. While attending Oxford, he plans to pursue a master's of philosophy in geography.

He was a member of the football team for four years and served as a starter for three of those years. Additionally, he was also a two-time first-team Academic All-American Last year, he was team captain for 10 out of 12 games, before a season-ending injury. In an interview, Joseph said of his decision to purse the scholarship as opposed to football, “I still love football, but I didn’t want it to consume my life anymore… It was time for me to do other things.” He is the fifth UCLA student-athlete to receive the prestigious honor.

Read more about UCLA’s 2008 Rhodes Scholars.