Yale boasts five Schwarzman Scholars

Five current or former Yale students — Kyle Hutzler ’14, Anna “Nina” Russell ’15, Zahra Baitie ’15, Hui Kay Teo ’16, and first-year law student Corey Meyer — have been named to the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars.

The first class of Schwarzman Scholars includes students from 32 countries and 71 universities, with 44% from the United States, 21% from China, and 35% from the rest of the world. Students chosen for this highly competitive program will both take classes and live at the newly constructed Schwarzman College on the campus of Tsinghua University in Beijing beginning September 2016. Expenses for each scholar are fully funded by the program.

“This class of Schwarzman Scholars represents a remarkable group of individuals who are committed to broadening their world view, undertaking new challenges and risks, and developing an understanding of China necessary to lead in the future,” said Rob Garris, global director of admissions for Schwarzman Scholars. “These 111 scholars represent the first members of a constantly expanding network of future global leaders, who together will have a tremendous impact on the world.”

The scholarship is fully funded for all participants, including travel costs and a personal stipend, and is supported by the program’s endowment, which is expected to total $450 million, with $371 million raised to date. Scholars will live and study together at Schwarzman College, a state-of-the-art academic and residential building built exclusively for the program.

“We have mobilized the global academic community to build a highly specialized and intellectually stimulating curriculum to prepare the next generation to leaders for the unique challenges of the 21^st century,” said David Daokui Li, dean for Schwarzman Scholars. “We are thrilled by the caliber and breadth of skills, accomplishments, and potential represented by these individuals, and look forward to providing the framework for them to gain a deeper understanding of China, create a network of global mutual understanding, and prepare them with the skills necessary to tackle the unique challenges of the future.”

Scholars will pursue master’s degrees in public policy, economics and business, and international studies, and spend a year immersed in an international community of thinkers, innovators, and senior leaders in business, politics, and society. In an environment designed to promote intellectual engagement, professional development and cultural exchange, they will learn from one another and pursue their academic disciplines while building their leadership capacities.

Brief bios of the Yale alumni and students follow:

Kyle Hutzler

graduated from Yale with a B.A. in economics and was managing editor of China Hands magazine. He is a senior associate at McKinsey & Company, based in its Washington office, where he focuses primarily on transformational public sector and healthcare work. Hutzler aspires to a career in public service.

Nina Russell

graduated from Yale cum laude with a B.A. in ethics, politics, and economics. She is now working in strategy and operations at Deloitte’s federal consulting practice in Washington, D.C. She hopes to forge connections that will help to promote interchange of healthcare data between the United States and China, with the goal of strengthening diplomatic relations and each country’s healthcare system.

Zahra Baitie

studied global affairs at Yale with a focus on East Asian and African studies. Her research interests include the development of emerging countries. Currently an associate consultant at Dalberg Global Development Advisors, Baitie hopes to positively shape Sino-Africa affairs.

Hui Kay Teo

, a psychology major, studies neuroscience at Yale. She co-founded Y Pop-Up, the first on-campus restaurant incubator, and opened seven restaurants. Through cross-cultural exchange at Schwarzman Scholars, she hopes to refine her understanding of how Japanese ideas will be received in different cultures, find future collaborators, and become a holistic leader equipped to bridge East and West.

Corey Meyer

plans to complete a juris doctorate at Yale Law School before someday running for the United States Senate. He hopes Schwarzman Scholars will help him gain partners and skills for his lifelong mission of global popular governance.

About Schwarzman Scholars

Schwarzman Scholars was inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship, which was founded in 1902 to promote international understanding and peace, and is designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond. Yale alumnus Stephen A. Schwarzman ’69 B.A., co-founder of Blackstone, personally contributed $100 million to the program and is leading a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $350 million from private sources to endow the program in perpetuity. The $450 million endowment will support up to 200 scholars annually from the United States, China, and around the world for a one-year master’s degree program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, one of China’s most prestigious universities and a base for the country’s scientific and technological research. Scholars chosen for this program will live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending lectures, traveling, and developing a better understanding of China.