THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
LACS graduate (AB 2024) Mónica Ruíz House named Marshall Scholar
UChicago News published the following article about Mónica Ruíz House earlier this month. CLAS is proud of her achievements.
Mónica Ruiz House graduated from UChicago in 2024 with a quadruple degree in law, letters and society; sociology; Romance languages and literatures; as well as Latin American and Caribbean studies. She was named a 2025 Marshall Scholar on Dec. 16.
Mónica Ruiz House has dedicated her career to advocating for the rights of migrants. As a University of Chicago student, Ruiz House, AB’24, helped provide lifesaving resources to migrants crossing the Sonoran Desert, worked across historically segregated areas of Chicago to advance mental health care facilities in immigrant neighborhoods, and helped Afghani asylum seekers restart their lives in the U.S. with support from the Pozen Center for Human Rights.
Through these experiences, she has realized that such urgent interventions, while essential, are insufficient—given escalating global migration patterns and border policies that incentivize life-endangering treks.
Ruiz House’s efforts were recognized when she was named as a 2025 Marshall Scholar, which will enable graduate study in the United Kingdom for a group of 36 students nationwide. This fall, she intends to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Oxford, where she will examine the human toll of punitive border policies and develop alternatives that protect migrant lives.
“This award comes at a time when immigrants are facing unprecedented threats to their existence,” said Ruiz House. “It is a call for all of us—not just the advocates or activists—to find their voice and speak of our shared humanity.”
She is the 30th person affiliated with UChicago since 1986 to win a Marshall Scholarship, which recognizes academic excellence, leadership and ambassadorial potential.
“Mónica is a dedicated public servant with a commitment to immigrant and refugee populations,” said Melina Hale, dean of the College. “We congratulate her on this significant honor.”