Written by Itziri Gonzalez Barcenas
I have been getting a lot of questions about the Schwarzman Scholars program. I thought it would be useful to do a three-part blog series on it. In the first post, I discussed the application process. In this second post, I share my experience in the program and living in China. As an advocate for equitable access, I believe it is important for me to highlight this exceptional opportunity on My Access Abroad for anyone who might not be in spaces where these types of programs are shared.
In August 2024, I landed in Beijing, China after the longest route of my life. After leaving our life behind in Paris I was living on the beautiful French Caribbean island of Martinique with my partner and his family. From Martinique, I took an 8.5 hour flight to Paris where I had an 11 hour layover. Then, a 10.5 hour flight to Beijing. The whole trip was about 30 hours. Tired does not even begin to explain how I was feeling once I arrived.
Arriving was a bit of a blur from getting off the plane, customs, and grabbing my suitcases. Small world moment: I did an internship in Geneva in 2022 and made a Chinese friend while there. She left Europe and moved to Beijing. When I told her that I was going to China, she was so excited and offered to meet me at the airport. When I exited customs and got my suitcases, I spotted her holding a cute sign with my name on it!
I also ran into a few scholars who were on the same flight. One was fluent in Chinese, so between my Chinese friend and him, they were able to negotiate reasonable taxi prices for everyone.
The taxi ride to the university campus was not long in distance, but I think my excitement to arrive made it feel longer. I kept looking out the window as if to will myself to wake up from a strange dream I was having of being in China… but no. It was real. My friend was sharing all she had been up to since being back in China. I kept thinking about how crazy it was to be sitting in a cab with a friend I made in Geneva.
When we arrived at the university gate, they did not allow my friend to go inside with me. I had warned her that it was a possibility. She was just happy to be able to welcome me to China and help me get to where I needed to go. She took another cab home and I stayed in the cab to enter the Tsinghua University campus. It was less of a university and more of a small city. As soon as you crossed the gate, you entered into a small city that was at the same time both calming with its nature and greenery, while also busy with people on their bicycles and scooters. The campus was a blend of ultra modern and traditional. The juxtapositions were incredible.
The building where I would be staying was Schwarzman College. It was a lot bigger in person than I thought it would be. Stepping inside for the first time was overwhelming. I had no time to rest. My suitcases stayed put and I went from one place to another doing administrative paperwork. This went on for days. It took a whole week to finish all of these processes – that I was lucky enough to have help for (my partner had to do them on his own) – and a whole other week before I was finally over the jet lag. The college staff made the process of settling into China as seamless as possible – getting a medical exam, opening a bank account, getting a Chinese phone number/SIM card, and installing the necessary apps.
Once I was finally settled, it really hit me… “I am in China,” I kept thinking to myself.
The #1 highlight of my first few weeks there was going to the Great Wall with the entire cohort. It has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I read about it in a book when I was a little kid. At the time, I thought it was a crazy fantasy to ever go in person. But being there, touching it, and seeing out into the distance was an indescribable feeling. I even had to take a moment to myself. I got emotional thinking about how I was standing somewhere I never thought I would be.
Then, it was time for the real work to begin. Classes started. The Schwarzman Scholars program brings incredible professors from all over the world to teach us, of course, but also to eat and live with us for a module (eight weeks). In addition to that, we are able to attend events with leaders across all industries – politics, arts, business, nonprofits, etc. The conversations with scholars, guest speakers, and professors were incredibly insightful. I was constantly out of my comfort zone. I learned so much in the span of 10 months.
The program flew by honestly and I cannot believe it’s over. Being a Schwarzman Scholar is an experience that I will never forget. It greatly impacted how I see the world and my place in it. Besides visiting the great wall, another memorable experience was traveling to Yunnan province for a “Deep Dive” trip. There, we explored China’s rural revitalization efforts through its famous tea and budding coffee industries. One of the first places we visited was Beautiful Star Village, a newly developed community featuring a B&B, an entrepreneurship hub, a restaurant, and even a Starbucks! Seeing how corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives can create economic opportunities for rural communities was inspiring. This trip reinforced both the progress and complexity of rural revitalization. Seeing these dynamics firsthand deepened my understanding of China’s development strategies and their broader implications.
Growing up, I constantly navigated between my Mexican roots and my American upbringing, which made me naturally curious about bridging cultures. In school, I studied North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa but had little exposure to Asia. I have been working hard to learn languages, explore different cultures, and discover new parts of the world. Asia was a big question mark.
After this year, I want to continue engaging with China. As a Mexican, I believe Mexico has a lot to learn and vice-versa. As a leader in the Global South, China has the resources to drive development initiatives that uplift underserved communities like the one my family is from in rural Mexico. I wanted to understand how China approaches these issues and how I could contribute to my own country someday. This time in China helped me understand these issues on a deeper level.
Hands down though, the best part of this entire experience were the friendships. I built relationships with people who will be lifelong friends. They taught me a lot about myself and life in general. This past February, I had an unexpected surgery in rural China. It was super scary. Upon returning to the college, a group of close friends secretly organized an event to create a welcome back poster and handwritten letters. It was a touching moment that reminded me why this place was so special. We are part of a close-knit community. People here are more than just your classmates.
This program provides you with a truly unique experience. It brings together people from around the world who want to engage with China and, in doing so, drive meaningful change. As I reflect on my time there, I feel deeply grateful for this opportunity. Coming from an undocumented migrant background, I have always wanted to have a career that prioritizes social impact. My time at Schwarzman College only reinforced this goal.
So much happened this past year, so it is impossible to talk about it all, but there are a few more highlights:
- Travels in Asia including 17 cities and 10 provinces in China, 3 cities in Thailand, 3 cities in Vietnam, and 1 city in South Korea
- 54th St. Gallen Symposium in Switzerland as a “Leader of Tomorrow” through a global essay competition where I wrote about Mexico’s role in making LATAM a new hub of power
- Having literal former ambassadors and ministers from different countries as professors turned mentors
Some tips for when in China:
- Must have phone apps
- Banking – Bank of China (or whichever Chinese bank you open an account with – make sure to change the language to English)
- Food delivery – Meituan, Ele.me
- Language – HelloChinese (similar to Duolingo), Microsoft Translator, Pleco
- Navigation – Amap, Apple Maps, Baidu Map
- Social media – Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book/Red Book)
- Shopping – JD, Taobao
- Superapps – Alipay, WeChat
- Taxi/ride sharing – Didi
- Travel – Trip
- Phrases that will go a long way
- Duìbùqǐ, wǒ tīng bù dǒng. (Sorry I do not understand).
- Xièxiè (Thank you).
- Méi wèntí (No problem).
- Wǒ yào zhège (I want this).
- Zhè shì duōshǎo qián? (How much is this?)
Note: This post reflects the author’s own views. It was not endorsed by the Schwarzman Scholars program. Stay tuned for part three on life after the program.
About Itziri Gonzalez Barcenas
She is a former DACA recipient (better known as “DREAMer”). She was born in Aguascalientes, Mexico, but raised in NC, USA. She graduated from Davidson College with a BA in Political Science and Africana Studies, an MA from Science Po Paris, and a MS from Tsinghua University. She has a range of diverse experiences: multilateral organizations (UN agencies, OECD), nonprofits, think tanks, social impact incubator, research organization (CNRS), and entrepreneurship across the U.S, Mexico, France, Switzerland, and China. She is very passionate about creating access and social impact, which drove her to co-found My Access Abroad.
