Three Cornellians named Schwarzman Scholars for study in China
By Kathy Hovis, College of Arts and Sciences
A Cornell student and two alumni have been named Schwarzman Scholars for the 2026-27 academic year and will spend it in a master’s program in global affairs at Beijing’s Tsinghua University.
Qiqi (Kiara) Shan ’26, Ruihao (Ray) Lin, J.D. ’24, and Isaac McCurdy ’21 will be part of the program, established in 2015 with the goal of empowering leaders and bridging cultures. Students live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending lectures, traveling around the region and developing a better understanding of China.
Shan, majoring in psychology and economics, plans to explore sustainable models for improving mental health accessibility during her time in China.
“I hope to develop a more holistic understanding of how China’s mental health system has evolved and where it is headed,” Shan said. “I want to understand how today’s mental health challenges are shaped by broader societal forces such as demographic change and shifting public perceptions, and to explore how cross-sector collaboration can drive systemic change.”