LAS senior named Schwarzman Scholar

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign senior Boming Yang, of Beijing, was named a Schwarzman Scholar, one of 151 recipients selected from an international pool of 3,000 applicants. The program annually fully funds a class consisting of 40 percent U.S. students, 20 percent from China and Taiwan, and 40 percent from the rest of the world.

Schwarzman Scholars seek a better understanding of China’s role in the world and have the potential to be future leaders. Students and young alumni from any major may apply for this master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

“The world needs Schwarzman Scholars now more than ever before,” said Stephen Schwarzman, the founding trustee of Schwarzman Scholars. “We are confident that that these extraordinary young people will seize this opportunity to act with intellect and integrity, address pressing global issues, deepen cross-cultural connections, and fulfill the mission of Schwarzman Scholars to create a steadfast network of future global leaders.”

Yang is in his final semester at Illinois, majoring in quantitative econometrics with a minor in statistics. He has held internships with IDG Capital Investment Consultant Company in Beijing and PricewaterhouseCoopers in Shanghai. At Illinois, Yang has spent the past 18 months conducting research on cellulosic biofuel with professor Ximing Cai. This past summer, he worked at State Key Laboratory of Tribology in Beijing conducting quantitative research to model how the wear, friction and lubrication of machines affects productivity. Yang said he hopes to use his econometric skills to help the world achieve carbon neutralization and sustainable development.

David Schug, the director of the National and International Scholarships Program at Illinois, said Yang is the third University of Illinois student to earn the award in the past five years.