Four Yale College seniors and three recent Yale graduates are among 150 scholars from around the world who have been selected as 2025 Schwarzman Scholars, which supports graduate study in China.
Yale seniors Andrew DeWeese, Alexander Sundberg, Fatou (Malaika) Thiam-Bockman, and Bryson Wiese and Yale alumni Brendan Campbell ’22, Nishi Felton ’22, and Claire Zalla ’21 were selected from more than 4,000 candidates for the prestigious fellowship.
Each will receive funding for a one-year master’s degree program at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
The scholarship program, which was established in 2013, aspires to create a global network of leaders who will shape the future.
“The caliber of this incoming class and their potential fills me with optimism for the future,” said Stephen A. Schwarzman ’69, founding trustee of Schwarzman Scholars. “This year’s selected Scholars are keenly interested in learning about China, which is now more important than ever in this complex geopolitical environment. They are ready to engage thoughtfully with global issues and eager to make a positive impact on the world.”
The 2024-25 cohort includes scholars from 43 countries and 114 different universities. They join a network of past fellows that now includes more than 1,200 members from 100 countries and 424 institutions worldwide.
Brief profiles of the seven newest Schwarzman Scholars from Yale follow:
Brendan Campbell
Brendan Campbell ’22 was a cognitive science major at Yale, where he researched social morality at Yale’s Experimental Philosophy Lab and was a two-time Richard U. Light Fellow studying Mandarin. After graduation he returned to his home state of Montana, where he worked at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center, establishing national-level democracy programs. He also conducted policy research and outreach on agriculture, labor, and social justice for the Rural Democracy Initiative. Campbell is interested in combining his expertise in Montana politics, national rural policy, and China Studies to better understand the impacts of U.S.-China relations on rural America, and advocate for effective policy.
Andrew DeWeese
Andrew DeWeese, a Yale senior, is majoring in classics with a certificate in Chinese. He is a research assistant at the Yale Law School, president emeritus of the Alexander Hamilton Society, and longtime violinist with the Yale Symphony Orchestra. He has worked, studied, and performed as a musician throughout America and Asia. He has worked as a strategy analyst in Washington, a student and business analyst in Taipei, and a research student in Delhi. In the future, DeWeese hopes to work in foreign policy and devise a new and more balanced American security strategy. He is from the United States.
Nishi Felton
Nishi Felton ’22 is a strategy analyst in the Office of the Provost at Yale, helping the university make data-informed decisions to advance its mission. She graduated from Yale College with a bachelor’s degree in ethics, politics, and economics and a concentration in human rights from Yale Law School. Her primary interest is research on, and social education around, public policy and governance issues in Southern Africa. As an undergraduate, she interned for Namibia’s Institute for Public Policy Research and conducted research on the economics of transportation infrastructure. She is from Namibia.
Alexander Sundberg
Alex Sundberg is studying economics and political science at Yale. He has founded both businesses and NGOs, with interests in entrepreneurship, manufacturing, and consumer products. On campus, he is a member of the Yale Track and Field Team and participates in the Yale College Council. Sundberg has pursued his interest in global affairs by working with The Reckoning Project, an NGO seeking accountability in the Ukrainian War. As a Schwarzman Scholar, he hopes to study the future of sustainable manufacturing and industrialization in China. He is from the United States and Argentina.
Fatou (Malaika) Thiam-Bockman
Fatou (Malaika) Thiam-Bockman, who is also a senior, is pursuing a B.A. in ethics, politics, and economics and an advanced certificate in Chinese. With a passion for foreign policy, international law, and human rights, she aspires to be at the forefront of international arbitrations. She is deeply interested in China-Africa dispute resolution mechanisms, aiming to promote human rights through the international justice system. Currently, she is president of the Yale Model African Union, holds several leadership positions within the Yale International Relations Association, and captains the Yale Mock Trial team. She is from the United States.
Bryson Wiese
Bryson Wiese, a Yale senior, is studying political science with a certificate in energy studies. On campus, he served as editor-in-chief of Yale’s political journal and president of the country’s largest undergraduate-run sustainable investment fund. Beyond Yale, Wiese has interned for Goldman Sachs’s startup investing team and Bill Gates’s investment office. He has also written for GreenBiz. He hopes to use his business and policy background to work on private sector solutions to public problems, especially climate change. He has studied Arabic and Chinese and believes climate action is a promising area for U.S.-China cooperation. He is from the United States.
Claire Zalla
Claire Zalla graduated from Yale College in 2021 with a B.A. in global affairs. She joined CNN as the lead researcher on Fareed Zakaria GPS and received an Emmy nomination for her work on a special program about the fall of Kabul. She has prior internship experience with the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Navy, and National War College. She has a deep interest in conflict management and hopes to work in negotiation, mediation, and peacebuilding. She is from the United States.
More information about the full class of 2024-25 Schwarzman Scholars can be found here.
