University of Wisconsin-Madison senior and 2026 Rhodes Scholarship finalist Zoe Kukla discussed potential solutions for combating illiteracy in America in an interview with The Daily Cardinal. Had Kukla won the prestigious scholarship, she would’ve researched literacy and media access, specifically in childhood development.
The Rhodes Scholarship provides a full-ride to Oxford University to rising seniors or recent graduates. Kukla is among 30 UW-Madison students to reach the final stage of the Rhodes Scholarship in the last 20 years, and over 30 UW-Madison students have won it since its inception in 1902.
“I feel very honored to have even been in the room,” Kukla said. “The finalists and panelists were brilliant and lovely people, and I feel like I came away finding a newfound conviction in my journey of early childhood education and the power of public media.”
Kukla’s path to Rhodes began in July after she secured a university nomination to the Rhodes trust, was approved by them, got eight letters of recommendation and wrote a 1,000-word personal statement. After becoming a finalist in late October, Kukla had roughly two weeks to prepare for interviews.
The scholarship is multidisciplinary, awarding those passionate about public service and research. Kukla said meeting both the finalists and panelists was inspiring.
She previously won the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service in 2024, along with UW-Madison’s Florence Waste Pulver, Orson S. Morse, Thomas W. Parker and James J. Forsmo scholarships.
Her ultimate goal is to make creative educational public media for kids as a way to raise literacy rates. While working as a digital community organizer for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Kukla was alarmed at how low literacy rates are nationwide.
“Literacy has such profound impacts on your life as an adult as well. It's really psychologically frustrating, [and] it’s hard to navigate tasks at work, everyday interactions at the grocery store and being generally informed,” Kukla said. “If people can't read as they come into adulthood, how can we expect people to be civically involved?”
The National Assessment of Educational Progress 2024 reading assessment found only 31% of U.S. fourth-graders are proficient in reading. In addition, 70% of 10-year-olds in low and middle-income countries struggle to read simple text, according to a report by the World Bank Group.
One solution to illiteracy that Kukla pointed to was Ready to Learn programming, which she said significantly improves early childhood literacy skills, notably for preschoolers.
“Think PBS Kids shows. [They] help supplement teachers in the classrooms but also at home when kids don't necessarily have a parent to sit and help them with their homework,” she said. “These educational programs are meant to fill those gaps as a solution.”
Kukla already has extensive experience researching and working in early education, including working for New York University’s research collection on English learners, interning at Chicago’s Erikson Institute for child development and shadowing the spotlight nonprofit What School Could Be.
Through the 2024 Obama-Chesky Voyager scholarship, she also designed her ‘Summer Voyage’ this year around childhood education. The voyage provides a $10,000 stipend and free housing for a summer work-travel experience related to public service.
Now, Kukla has her eyes set on the future. She is debating between pursuing an education master’s degree or pursuing education law, after seeing how educators in her family shaped people’s lives for the better.
Editor’s note: Zoe Kukla previously served as special pages editor, graphics editor and senior staff writer at The Daily Cardinal.
