Student, Alumna Chosen for China-based Scholarship

Posted on Jan. 30, 2017

A senior and a 2015 Carolina graduate have been selected for the Schwarzman Scholars program, a China-based scholarship modeled after the Rhodes Scholarship and founded by Blackstone co-founder and CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman.

Jialing “LingLing” Jiang and Chang Zhao ’15 were two of 129 global recipients selected for the one-year award, which provides learning opportunities with leaders from China and the world through interactions at lectures, an internship program, a mentorship network and travel seminars. They are Carolina’s third and fourth Schwarzman Scholars.

The master’s degree program supports the study of public policy, economics and business, or international studies at China’s Tsinghua University and bridges the academic and professional worlds to educate students about leadership and China’s expanding role in the world.

Jiang is from China. She plans to graduate in May with a degree in economics and philosophy and a minor in philosophy, politics and economics.

Jiang founded the UNC International Ambassadors program and the first Chinese Cultural Month on campus. Along with promoting multicultural awareness, she also is passionate about social entrepreneurship and has provided improvement coaching for 16 nonprofits in eight cities across the country. She has researched Africa-China relations at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and aspires to be an agent for intercultural relations and international development by starting a social enterprise that focuses on alleviating rural poverty.

Zhao, also from China, graduated from Carolina with honors and distinction after majoring in anthropology. She is currently a Global Academic Fellow at New York University Shanghai, where she conducts research and teaches undergraduate students.

At Carolina, Zhao was a member of the Order of the Grail-Valkyries and was the first Chinese student to hold the joint senate critic position of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, UNC’s literary and debate society. An aspiring anthropologist, Zhao has carried out fieldwork on urban renewal projects and cultural heritage preservation and hopes to combine ethnographic research and policymaking to solve real-world problems.

The two scholars share a connection — the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies. Jiang, also a member of the organization, was mentored and sponsored by Zhao.

The Schwarzman Scholars program gives students the opportunity to develop leadership skills and professional networks through a one-year master’s degree at Tsinghua University in 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 for the program annually from around the world.

---