Two Huskies Named Schwarzman Scholarship Finalists
Dayina Connie E SSH’19 and Zhaofei Grace Zhou DMSB’20 have been invited to interview for the highly prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship, which funds a year of postgraduate study at Beijing’s Tsinghua University for an international cohort of future global leaders. Embodying Northeastern’s values of rigorous scholarly inquiry, experiential learning, and global mindset, Connie and Grace exemplify the forward-thinking leadership style and bridge-building capacity that the Schwarzman Scholarship seeks.
The Schwarzman Scholarship was created in response to the geopolitical realities of the 21stcentury: whether in politics, business or science, the success of future leaders around the world will depend upon an understanding of China’s role in global trends. Schwarzman Scholars live and study together at Schwarzman College, a newly-built, state-of-the-art facility on the Tsinghua University campus.
Connie and Grace have been named finalists in the Schwarzman Scholarship competition for citizens of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao, which follows an earlier timeline. The application period for citizens of all other countries is still open—learn more about how you can apply today!
Dayina Connie E SHH’19
Economics; minors in global social entrepreneurship and political science
Growing up in Taiyuan, a city of 4.2 million about 300 miles outside Beijing, Connie grew accustomed early to pursuing opportunities far afield: after attending boarding school in Shanghai, she moved on to high school in the United Kingdom, and then to Northeastern as a University Scholar and honors student. Embracing Northeastern’s international reach, Connie studied disarmament policy at the United Nations in Geneva and consulted with social enterprises in South Africa. Even as she developed this global perspective, however, Connie continually applied her growing knowledge and expertise to the issues she first confronted in Taiyuan, watching her parents build their self-made business. Seeking a way to pair the acumen gained from her economics major and her co-ops at companies like State Street with her aspiration to promote sustainable and equitable development solutions, Connie founded and served as president of NUImpact, Northeastern’s student-driven impact investing initiative. Under Connie’s leadership, NUImpact established a $250,000 impact fund for students to invest in local sustainable enterprises. Inspired by this success, Connie aspires to a career at the intersection of public policy, social impact, and financial services.
Zhaofei Grace Zhou DMSB’20
Business Administration, concentration in Marketing; minors in business analytics and economics
An accomplished athlete, strategic communicator, and affinity-building ambassador, Grace believes in the importance of bringing “a champion’s mindset” to every challenge. This means not only developing the necessary skills and strengths, but also uniting people around a shared vision of success in which they all have a stake and play a part. A marketing major, Grace enhanced her communications toolkit in the corporate space through co-ops at EMC, Brown Brothers Harriman, and Boston Consulting Group. Meanwhile, she established an international alumni association for her high school and founded the Northeastern University Chinese Alumni Association, which now boasts over 500 members united across disciplines and generations by their Husky pride. Grace’s ability to unite others around a common purpose was also on display as a member of Northeastern’s Dragon Boat team, which ultimately took first place in the college division of the 2018 Boston Dragon Boat Festival. Grace aspires to become a business leader in China, using inspirational communication and shared senses of identity to drive progress in one of the world’s most important, diverse, and growing markets.