Leveraging a Global Alumni Network through Schwarzman Scholars
Frederico Menino, Schwarzman Scholars admissions officer, speaks at a recruiting reception to interested attendees at the 45th International Conference, sponsored by Business Today.
Frederico Menino is an admissions outreach and selection officer for Schwarzman Scholars. He previously served educational advisor to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Ministry in New York. Frederico received his PhD in Sociology from The New School.
Sarah Mortell is a graduate of the Schwarzman Scholar program. Her interest in the program arose from hearing about China in a number of conferences hosted by Web Summit, where she worked for two years after college. Originally from Dublin, Sarah continues to keep in touch with the Schwarzman Scholars program as an alumni ambassador.
The Schwarzman Scholars program, a prestigious fellowship that enables students to study at Tsinghua University for a Master’s Degree, was created by Stephen Schwarzman, CEO, Chairman, and Co-founder of The Blackstone Group, in 2016. Since then, it has selected five classes of scholars and it will soon have over a thousand alumni around the world. At the 45th International Conference, Business Today had the pleasure of speaking with Frederico Menino, a Schwarzman Scholars admissions officer, and Sarah Mortell, a graduate of the program, on how interested candidates can apply and how the program has evolved since its creation.
As explained by Dr. Menino, Schwarzman Scholars acts as a leadership development program, and it intends for alumni to leverage its global network of scholars in the years after their graduation. As the program enters its fifth year, Schwarzman Scholars’ alumni network has grown considerably, and they have created an alumni relations team to better connect alumni to one another. The program promotes industry-specific deep dives for alumni to explore different careers (ex. an entertainment based deep dive in Los Angeles), as well as “China refreshers,” in which alumni learn about the latest political, economic, and social developments in China. Rather than act as simply a fellowship endowing academic knowledge to its graduates, Schwarzman Scholars curates an education paired with experiential learning, leaving students with a deep understanding of Chinese culture, to which they can remain connected through alumni activities.
Aside from events organized by the alumni team, Schwarzman Scholars alumni actively arrange deep dives for their own countries with fellow alumni. Ms. Mortell spoke on an event she was planning that would introduce alumni to Ireland, her home country. Not only do these deep dives bring alumni in touch with high-level leaders in those nations, they offer an additional manner in which alumni further their global understanding of the world.
The commitment to identifying future global leaders is evident through the Schwarzman Scholars application process. To do well, Dr. Menino emphasizes authenticity as a quality distinguishing strong candidates, as does Ms. Mortell. Since final rounds include interviews with a panel of influential leaders in both business and political affairs, applicants should treat the entire application process as an introspective opportunity to evaluate how one’s work, projects, and academia have impacted their interest in Schwarzman Scholars. In addition, Ms. Mortell encourages prospective applicants to consider what their unique contribution would be to the fellowship. While they are not required to have experience living or working in China, ideal candidates should be interested in why China has an enormous impact on the world. On an additional note, as Schwarzman Scholars becomes increasingly prominent amongst underclassmen, some undergraduates now prepare years in advance to apply. Rather than rush through the process and create a step-by-step plan for admittance, Dr. Menino suggests that students apply once they are able to present a coherent narrative to the Schwarzman Scholars admissions team. For some, this may be right after graduation; for others like Ms. Mortell, it may be after a couple of years spent in the professional world. As long as the applicant is under 28 years of age, they are eligible to apply.
More than anything, Schwarzman Scholars has constantly sought how to make their process as accessible as possible. One of the greatest limitations is that the Schwarzman Scholars application is English, sometimes limiting non-native speakers whose applications may lose meaning through cross-cultural translations. Further, top talent may not have equal access to fellowship advisory services, depending on their university. As such, the Schwarzman Scholars program heavily leverages its alumni during the application process. Scholars based in their home regions help admissions officers understand the politics, culture, and other contextual criteria by which students in that region should be evaluated. Furthermore, since all nations have a different definition of leadership, scholars are critical in helping potential candidates in their home nation understand how Schwarzman Scholars serves as a leadership program and encourage those students to apply. Diversity is crucial to the mission of Schwarzman Scholars, and as Dr. Menino and Ms. Mortell underscore, it is a value to which they hold steadfast in an increasingly globalized world.
“We value diversity, not only because it’s important, but because it’s crucial to the mission that we are trying to accomplish.”