Om Gandhi said a chance encounter with a family in Kensington that had lost their son to cancer inspired him to research ways to holistically fight the disease.

Om Gandhi, of Barrington, will study cancerous tumors. University of Chicago students Anqi Qu and Francesco Rahe are also among this year's 32 scholarship recipients.

U.S. selected the recipients of the Rhodes Scholarship in a competitive process. Nearly 3,000 students applied, with 865 endorsed by 243 colleges and universities, according to Rice University. In total,