Chudi Martin Jr. ’24 Earns Prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Chudi Martin Jr. ’24 was teaching in his second-grade classroom at a Detroit public school when he saw the email notification.

The subject line read: “Gates Cambridge Offer.” He opened it.

“I read, ‘We are pleased…’ and I’m like, no, there’s no way this is happening right now,” he said.

Martin learned he was one of 26 people awarded the highly competitive Gates Cambridge Scholarship—an honor reserved for the most academically brilliant social leaders in the U.S. The scholarship funds full postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge and recognizes exceptional academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to improving the lives of others.

Martin texted his work group chat and asked if someone could take over his class for a few minutes. Then he stepped out and called his mom from the bathroom.

“She was driving. I showed her the email. She’s crying. I’m trying not to cry. She’s like, ‘I have to pull over.’ She just stopped to absorb it. I couldn’t believe I actually got it.”

Martin is only the third Oberlin graduate to earn the honor, following Daniel Walden ’12 and Stephen Lezak ’15. At Oberlin, he double-majored in Africana studies and environmental studies, with a minor in African American music, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. 

A Chicago native and Posse Scholar, he conducted mentored undergraduate research through the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellowship. His project, “The Standing History of Afro-Diasporic Traditions in Trinidad & Tobago,” combined textual, musicological, and ethnographic analysis of Afro-Trinidadian cultural traditions.

Outside the classroom, Martin immersed himself in Afro-diasporic performance traditions, playing steelpan with Oberlin Steel and serving as a teaching assistant for the Djembe Orchestra, while also leading Steel Pan and Capoeira Angola ExCo courses.

He hadn’t played an instrument before college, but found himself drawn to the vibrant and diverse music scene on campus. “Oberlin gave me the ability to dive deeper into the practice of these Afro-diasporic art forms that I didn’t necessarily have access to beforehand,” he says, adding that he continues to play music.

Those combined experiences, he said, sharpened both his academic focus and his sense of leadership—foundations he will build on at Cambridge, where he will pursue a Master of Philosophy in social anthropology, continuing his research on the evolution of Afro-diasporic traditions and the power of music, movement, and dance in Trinidad and Tobago’s history.

“As a pannist of Trinidadian descent, I aim to bridge gaps between practitioners, scholars, and intellectuals outside of the academy and explore Caribbean narratives through a more nuanced perspective,” he says of his research interests.

For Martin, the Gates Cambridge Scholarship represents more than an academic milestone. He credits his family, faculty mentors, and the networks he built through Posse and Mellon Mays with helping him prepare—including months of interview practice and many pages of handwritten notes. “I really called on my support network for this opportunity,” he says. “Even if I didn’t get it, I wanted to walk out knowing I did my best.”

The award also carries significance beyond his own journey. “This is a moment for us to really take and be proud of,” he says, reflecting on the power of representation and what the scholarship means for Black students pursuing international academic opportunities. “For my Black boys, my Black girls—anything is possible. You have to put in the time and the work.”

Professor of Africana Studies Charles Peterson, who was one of Martin’s mentors at Oberlin, likewise expresses his admiration for Martin’s “commitment to community.” 

“Chudi’s accomplishments are always tied to the benefit of others, and I am sure his experience at Cambridge will be no different,” he says. “It has been an honor and pleasure to work with him and I have no doubt about the great things he will achieve going forward.”

Long term, Martin hopes to earn a doctorate and return to the classroom as a professor, and said his ultimate goal would be to teach in Oberlin’s Africana studies department—creating more space in academia for Afrocentric scholarship and Caribbean narratives that have historically been underrepresented. 

“This is not a Chudi-wins-the-Gates-Cambridge-Scholarship moment,” he said. “This is the support and the community that brought me here.

"Being a teacher, you learn something from your students all the time. Kids have such a ‘You can do it’ attitude. You might feel like you're struggling, but there's always one kid who's like, ‘You're the best teacher ever!’”

One of his students—“the best reader in my classroom,” Martin says—is on the autism spectrum. “Never lose your love for reading. You’re going to go far in life,” he tells him. It’s the kind of encouragement Martin recognizes from his own journey and hopes to pass forward.

Elizabeth Weinstein ’02 is a freelance writer and editor based in Columbus, Ohio.