Alumnus Becomes UNC’s Fifth Schwarzman Scholar

Posted on Dec. 5, 2017

Min Yang ’15 has been selected for the Schwarzman Scholars program, an elite China-based scholarship modeled after the Rhodes Scholarship and founded by Blackstone co-founder and CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman.

The innovative master’s degree program supports study at China’s prestigious Tsinghua University and bridges the academic and professional worlds to educate students about leadership and China’s expanding role in the world.

Yang was one of 142 recipients selected worldwide for the award, which provides unparalleled learning opportunities with leaders from China and the world through high-level interactions at lectures, an internship program, a mentorship network and intensive travel seminars. He is Carolina’s fifth Schwarzman Scholar since the program began in 2016.

Yang, from Shunde, Guangdong Province, China, majored in health policy and management as well as mathematical decision sciences.

While at Carolina, Yang served as president of the Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit, an achievement recognized by Forbes. Yang was also a research fellow for UNC’s Project China. As a result of his accomplishments, Yang was recognized by China Hands magazine as one of 25 under-25 future leaders in U.S.-China relations. Yang also interned for both the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, and the China Center for Health Economics Research in Beijing. He played the saxophone with UNC’s Marching Tar Heels.

Yang recently helped launch Ofo, the biggest station-free bike share platform in the world. He previously worked as a senior analyst for CBPartners and co-founded DocFlight, an international telemedicine startup that bridges health care services in the U.S. with patients abroad.

The Schwarzman Scholars program is the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century by giving students the opportunity to develop leadership skills and professional networks through a one-year master’s degree. Immersed in the culture of Beijing, the scholars are surrounded by an international community of thinkers, innovators and senior leaders in business, politics and society. In this environment of intellectual engagement, professional development and cultural exchange, they pursue their academic disciplines, travel, build their leadership capacities and develop a better understanding of China. Up to 200 individuals are chosen annually from around the world.

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