Everything began with a cryptic email from the Admissions Committee, requesting a call.

Addie Mae Villas, class of 2024, raced to her dorm room from D2 at midday to log onto Zoom. Sachintha Pilapitiya, class of 2024, hopped onto the call at 5 a.m., bleary-eyed from sleep. Valentin Josan, class of 2024, realized he had no call credit and scrambled to top it up before he could call back.

All three of them—individually—received a sunny welcome to the ninth cohort of the Schwarzman Scholars program.

Villas burst out of her room with the news to friends who were anxiously camped outside. Pilapitiya and Josan typed up announcements for family group chats and close friends.

That moment was worthy of such elation. The Schwarzman scholarship is, after all, one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world, akin to the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships. A spot in its ninth cohort was coveted by over four thousand applicants, ultimately going to just 150 graduates from 43 countries. Villas, Pilapitiya, and Josan are the latest additions to an impressive legacy of NYU Abu Dhabi students in the program and will earn a fully-funded master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

The program boasts its various postgraduate successes and outcomes, from entrepreneurship to employment with leading organizations. All three scholars plan to dive in with concrete destinations in mind.

Josan, who is the first Moldovan scholar, hopes that at least part of his Schwarzman experience will be carved out of the ethos of representation. “One of the first things I did after the official announcement about the new cohort was to go to the website and check the drop-down list [of countries that scholars hail from]. Finally, I saw Moldova. “I think that was a moment of personal satisfaction just to see your country represented,” he said. For aspiring scholars, he intends to catalyze his involvement in the program to close the educational resource gap that currently exists in Moldova.

For Villas, the scholarship is a direct path to what she hopes will be a rewarding career in international criminal law. Especially the fact that she is situated in a country of burgeoning geopolitical importance will certainly help. “China plays a big role in the U.N. and continues to play a big role in the U.N. right now,” she noted.

Pilapitiya, whose interests will ultimately take him back home to Sri Lanka, hopes to find his niche at the intersection of research and policymaking. While the classes themselves at Tsinghua are of great appeal, he is earnestly excited for the bonds he will forge. “For me, it’s mainly about getting to know the rest of the cohort, all of whom are crazy smart and doing insane things…and also about getting exclusive access to things you wouldn’t have otherwise done in China.” He added with a grin, “I’m also looking forward to the food!”

According to Josan, NYUAD’s unique student experience has certainly given the scholars a leg up. “NYUAD gives you a level of confidence for life. Knowing that you are in a competitive environment with brilliant people around you and that you have a global outlook gives you the confidence that you can go even further than that.” Josan, Villas, and Pilapitiya have only gratitude for their thriving support systems at the university, made up of recommenders, partners, friends, and stalwart advisors like Doug Cutchins, Director of Global Awards at NYUAD’s Career Development Center.

For Schwarzman aspirants at NYUAD, Villas and Pilapitiya have illuminating insights.

“Schwarzman values all forms of leadership. Even if you don’t think you have enough leadership experience, they really just look for places where you’ve identified that there’s an issue and you’ve stepped up for change. I think you can highlight anything that you feel very passionate about—that you’ve dedicated all of your time at NYUAD to—even if you weren't, say, on the e-board, rather than a leadership experience that looks good on paper but you were only slightly attached to,” said Villas.

Pilapitiya added to this: “Schwarzman differs from other programs like the Rhodes in that you need an interest in China. And that can be shown. Our study away programs, internships, and such give us enough opportunities to show that we are serious about China.”

Just a high grade Point Average does not make a true Schwarzman scholar. A scholar is someone “who is eager to learn and open to new experiences,” per Villas, “who really loves and is excited about what they do,” according to Pilapitiya, “who is resilient and engages in uncomfortable conversations,” per Josan.

All three of them remain poised to embody these values, burnishing the Schwarzman path for NYUAD scholars to come.