Miranda Gottlieb, who graduated from UT last spring, has been named to the second class of Schwarzman Scholars, a highly competitive program that offers selected students the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in China.
She is the first UT student to be selected for the program, which launched in 2015.
Gottlieb, who is from New Mexico, earned her bachelor’s degree in honors political science and Hispanic studies in May 2016. She was a Baker Scholar at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, where her primary area of research was drug policy reform. She was a member of the Student Government Association and president of Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
She completed internships at the New Mexico Department of Health and the Drug Policy Alliance, studied abroad in Costa Rica and Argentina, and was a speaker at TEDxUTK 2016.
Over the summer, Gottlieb had an internship with US Representative Steve Cohen in Washington, DC. Until her departure to China, she will continue her current work on overdose prevention for the State of Florida. Her goal is to work for the United Nations on drug policy reform.
“Being named a Schwarzman Scholar to support my development as an academic and leader in the field of drug policy reaffirms to me that there is no substitute for passion when pursuing your goals. I’m so thankful for those who assisted me,” Gottlieb said.
UT’s Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships (ONSF) helped Gottlieb in her application process, which included writing an essay with three parts: a personal statement, a leadership statement, and an overview of a current affairs issue and how international leaders should intervene to contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous future. Gottlieb also submitted a video introducing herself and traveled to New York for a semifinalist interview.
“Although relatively new, Schwarzman Scholars already is one of the most selective scholarship programs in the world,” said Andrew Seidler, ONSF director. “This is a tremendous opportunity for Miranda and an accomplishment that should be a source of pride for UT.”
Gottlieb is one of 129 men and women chosen to be part of the second cohort of Schwarzman Scholars. They come from 30 countries and 75 universities with 45 percent from the United States, 20 percent from China, and 35 percent from the rest of the world.
Inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship program, which was founded in 1902 to promote international understanding and peace, the Schwarzman Scholars program was created last year to respond to meet the challenges of the 21st century and beyond. It was founded by Stephen A. Schwarzman, co-founder of Blackstone, a global asset management firm. Schwarzman donated $100 million to launch the Schwarzman Scholars program and is leading a campaign to raise an additional $350 million to fully endow the program so that it can support up to 200 scholars annually from the United States, China, and around the world.
The Schwarzman Scholars will study at Tsinghua University in Beijing, one of China’s most prestigious universities and an important base for the country’s scientific and technological research. They will pursue a one-year Master of Global Affairs degree in one of three disciplines: public policy, economics and business, or international studies. They will live on the campus of Schwarzman College, a newly built state-of-the-art facility at Tsinghua University where all classes are taught in English.
Schwarzman Scholars will study Mandarin and complete a core curriculum that includes courses in Chinese culture, history, and values; leading issues in the global economy; leadership; comparative government; and international relations. The students also will have the opportunity to pursue internships at organizations in China, work closely with a senior Chinese mentor, and travel throughout China.
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Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)