Schwarzman Scholars has announced its ninth cohort. One awardee in the class of 2025 is Johns Hopkins University graduate and NCAA All-American swimmer Renee Liu.
Liu matriculated in the fall of 2019 and was on JHU’s roster for two seasons. She graduated with a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering in 2022, and since then has been working as a senior research assistant at Massachusetts Eye and Ear in the ophthalmology department. One research project she undertook involved a trip to India, which got her interested in learning more about other countries’ healthcare systems.
“After my trip to India, I realized not only can we as Americans bring a lot to other countries, but we have a lot to learn from other countries, as well,” Liu said, according to a Johns Hopkins press release. “I wanted to deeply explore the health care system of another large country and gain insights into the Chinese medical school reform led by world-renowned JHU alumni and physician-scientist, Professor Wong Tien Yin.”
In Liu’s freshman campaign, she qualified for D3 NCAAs in the 200 back. However, her season was cut short due to the onset of the Covid-19 campaign so she never completed a full collegiate season. It was a similar story for the 2020-21 season, with Hopkins closing its campus to students for the fall semester. The Blue Jays returned to the pool in a limited capacity in the spring, including a dual meet with Gettysburg in April of 2021.
The Schwarzman Scholars program was established in 2016. The program admits up to 200 students annually to pursue a fully-funded master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing while also developing a deeper understanding of China. They also pursue learning opportunities outside the classroom, traveling across the country and meeting with industry and government leaders.
Matt Dawe, who was appointed as the CEO of the International Swimming League in 2022, initially appeared on the list of scholars, but has since been removed. SwimSwam has reached out to Schwarzman Scholars for comment.
Wow, Athletic and Smart! She has a bright future.