Trinity Lowthian Selected as 2026 Rhodes Scholar

Trinity Lowthian has been selected as one of eleven 2026 Rhodes Scholars-Elect from Canada, earning one of the world’s most prestigious academic honours.

The University of Ottawa graduate completed her Honours bachelor’s in nutrition and food science in 2025 and is currently pursuing a master’s in human kinetics with a specialisation in sport management. She will begin fully funded postgraduate study at the University of Oxford in October 2026.

Lowthian began wheelchair fencing in May 2022 and quickly established herself as a top competitor on the international stage. She became a multiple Americas champion, earning two gold medals and one bronze at the 2024 Americas Championships and three medals at the 2022 Americas Championships. She went on to represent Canada at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, where she recorded Canada’s best-ever Para fencing finish.

Beyond her competitive achievements, Lowthian has been a champion for Para sport and disability inclusion. She co-founded a provincial Para fencing circuit and championship in Ontario and leads the TRYumph Gymnastics Academy’s wheelchair fencing program, which has integrated with the Ottawa Fencing Club to promote inclusivity. Through securing grants like the Paralympic Sport Development Fund, she’s obtained equipment and training programs that have helped grow the wheelchair fencing community in Ottawa.

Lowthian is also an advocate for patient engagement in research, collaborating with national organizations including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Collaborative for Childhood Cannabinoid Therapeutics to advance the integration of lived experience in research.

Her leadership has been recognized with both the King Charles III Coronation Medal and Ontario Premier’s Medal of Excellence. Most recently, she completed an internship with the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s Athlete Services and Engagement team through the Pfizer Canada internship program.

She’s one of two Rhodes Scholars selected from Ontario this year, following a rigorous competition that attracted top candidates from across the country and around the globe. At Oxford, she’ll join over a hundred Scholars from around the world as part of a global community of Rhodes Scholar alumni working to create positive change.