Jonathan Zhang ‘19, who is currently completing his undergraduate degree at Harvard in Computer Science and Social Studies, has received a prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship to study at Tsinghua University in China next year. Similar to recipients of Rhodes Scholarships, Schwarzman Scholars receive a fully funded experience abroad that leads to a master’s in global affairs.
Jonathan will be a member of a cohort of 150 other fellows next year. While at Tsinghua he hopes to continue his study of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative on Saudi Arabian geopolitical and socio economic development in relation to Vision 2030. However he also has personal reasons to continue his studies in China.
“I have not been back to China in almost 10 years after studying abroad at my mother’s middle school in Beijing when I was 12 years old,” Jonathan said. “During that time, I was able to better connect with my roots and deepen my relationship with my extended family abroad. I also felt really connected to my Chinese peers at UWC-USA and keep in touch with them to this day.”
Jonathan feels that his UWC-USA experience helped prepare him for Harvard and he hopes that his year as a Schwarzman Fellow will capture some of the magic of a UWC experience. “The Schwarzman scholarship’s 8th cohort has students from over 36 countries,” he continued. “With the international residential experience from UWC-USA, as well as having done the Constructive Engagement of Conflict (CEC) series and becoming a leader during my time at UWC, I’m looking forward to being part of a close-knit international community of people working together again.”