Fellow
Serene Singh is a Rhodes Scholar pursuing a DPhil degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Oxford. Her research centers on the experiences of women on death row in the United States, focusing on topics of femininity, gender identity, and life in confinement. With a commitment to understanding their material realities, Serene aims to contribute to academic knowledge and recommend reforms for the justice system in the United States. She holds a Master’s postgraduate degree in Public Policy from Oxford, where she was the youngest student in a global cohort. As a 2024-2025 John Roberts Lewis Fellow, Truman Scholar, Fulbright recipient, and Boettcher Scholar, Serene graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors in Political Science and Journalism from the University of Colorado, with a minor in Leadership Studies.
Beyond academia, Serena has made notable contributions, including winning the world’s largest pageant becoming the National All-American Miss 2020-2021, authoring a best-selling children’s book, and establishing The Serenity Project. She has collaborated with Mrs. Obama and the Girls Opportunity Alliance, advocating for girls’ education. Serene’s commitment to challenging stereotypes and promoting diversity is demonstrated through her historic Sikh advocacy at the University of Oxford. This includes organising the first Sikh Langar to be held at the University of Oxford, reciting the first Sikh prayer during a college formal grace, and bringing the first turbaned Sikh speaker to speak individually at the Oxford Union, the University’s prestigious debating society.