WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., December 7, 2020—Williams College student Julius Dodson ’21 has been named a Schwarzman Scholar and will join the program’s sixth cohort of students since the program began in 2016. Schwarzman Scholars is a highly selective, one-year master’s program located at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing that aims to prepare the next generation of global leaders for the challenges of the future. Dodson was among more than 3,600 applicants from 39 countries and 99 universities around the world to compete for 154 spots in the class.
During his year in the program, Dodson will pursue a master’s degree in global studies with a core curriculum focused on leadership, China, and global affairs. With an interest in optimizing care in the healthcare industry, he hopes to empower patients and their families by providing people with improved access to their medical records. As a Schwarzman Scholar, Dodson says he is “excited to be surprised, gain new perspectives, and meet passionate people.”
Hailing from Chicago, Ill., Dodson is an economics and psychology major with concentrations in public health and neuroscience. As an undergraduate at Williams, he co-founded Healthbar for which he manages a team of developers and designers to build and market a digital personal health record platform. He also gained experience in investment banking through internships with J.P. Morgan and developed a deeper understanding of venture capital and public health through his experiences with the not-for-profit venture capital firm In-Q-Tel.
A leader among his peers, Dodson has been involved in numerous student projects and groups, including serving as chair of the Williams College Black Student Union, captain on the squash team, president of Society of the Griffins Book Exchange, and a J.P. Morgan Launching Leaders Scholar, among others. He is currently a president on the Third Annual Williams Summit, an entrepreneurship summit that has brought speakers from Bain Capital, CapitalG (formerly Google Capital) and the Pritzker Group to campus.
“Williams gave me some of my closest friends, my amazing JAs, my teammates, my captains, a supportive alumni community, and some amazing staff and faculty,” Dodson said. “I am incredibly grateful for Williams and the people that define it.”
Dodson is Williams College’s fourth Schwarzman Scholar.
About Schwarzman Scholars
The vision of Schwarzman Scholars is to bring together the world’s best young minds to explore and understand the economic, political and cultural factors that have contributed to China’s increasing importance as a global power, and train them to become effective links between China and the rest of the world. Through the philanthropy, foresight, and dedication of Blackstone Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman, as well as the generosity of global donors who have been inspired by the potential and importance of this program, Schwarzman Scholars has raised more than $500 million to date. These funds will help endow Schwarzman Scholars in perpetuity.
Each year, up to 200 future leaders from the U.S., China and the rest of the world matriculate as Schwarzman Scholars at Tsinghua University in Beijing to pursue a one-year Master’s Degree. Scholars chosen for this highly selective program have demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities and the potential to understand and bridge cultural and political differences. They live in Beijing for a year of intensive study and cultural immersion – attending lectures, workshops, and discussion groups; being mentored and advised by leaders across sectors; and traveling while developing a better understanding of China.
Published December 7, 2020