University of Chicago student Emily Shi and alum Maxime Kpangbai have been named Schwarzman Scholars for the 2025-26 academic year. They will participate in a one-year master's program in global affairs at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Emily Shi, from Westchester, N.Y., will return to China after nearly a decade. "Gaining an intimate understanding of the culture and day-to-day life will be something that I value on a personal level," she said. Shi is majoring in biological sciences and public policy with a focus on health and medicine globally. She plans to apply for medical school after completing the Schwarzman program. Her research experience includes working in Dr. Marsha Rosner’s lab on triple negative breast cancer.

"My experience taught me the value of collaborating within and across disciplines," Shi stated about her work. She hopes interacting with other scholars will help her develop ideas for contributing to global health equity.

Maxime Kpangbai also has ties to China, having grown up in Beijing. "Having grown up in China, being with my Schwarzman Cohort and re-experiencing the country through the eyes of those who are there for the first time will be quite unique," she said. Kpangbai graduated from UChicago with an economics degree and worked at Boston Consulting Group before joining the UN Global Compact.

"The biggest thing that the College taught me was how to think critically," Kpangbai remarked about her education. She is interested in China's approach to Africa's development and looks forward to building networks related to this interest during her time as a Schwarzman Scholar.

Both scholars received interview support from UChicago's College Center for Research and Fellowships (CCRF), which aids students applying for competitive fellowships.

—This story originally appeared on the UChicago College website.