By Kristen Mitchell
George Washington University alumna Mikaela Yuchen Wang, B.A. ‘19, has been named to the newest class of Schwarzman Scholars, a prestigious graduate fellowship located at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
The vision of Schwarzman Scholars is to bring together young leaders to explore and understand the economic, political and cultural factors that have contributed to China’s increasing importance as a global power and train them to become effective links between China and the rest of the world, according to the Schwarzman Scholars website.
Ms. Wang received a degree in international affairs with a concentration in international economics from the Elliott School of International Affairs. She came to GW to explore her passion for sustainable development and the intersection among climate, politics and economics. Ms. Wang studied abroad in Denmark and Sweden during her time at GW, where she was able to observe Scandinavia's global leadership in innovative clean energy technologies.
“I'm immensely grateful for the education I received at the Elliott School of International Affairs,” she said. “I think that changed a lot of my perspective and outlook on things. It was a great place to meet like-minded peers. Many people are interested in all these different topics, and we could share different views, opinions or ideas.”
Ms. Wang is currently a master’s student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, completing a dual degree with Tsinghua University in Beijing. She has spent half of her life in the U.S. and the other half in China.
Ms. Wang is one of 151 scholars selected to join the Schwarzman Scholars Class of 2023, chosen from a group of nearly 3,000 applicants. The scholars include students and alumni from 33 countries and 106 universities. Through the program, she will pursue a master’s degree in global affairs, exploring the financing side of sustainable development and how private or public capital can be used to advance technological change.
“COVID has only made me realize more how important the environment is. If we don't take actions now, greater consequences are going to come later,” she said. “I'd say the pandemic has changed a lot of things, but my passion for this field has only intensified.”
