Building Bonds in Beijing

In the late summer of 2022, a lone plane landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. In busier times, this was one of the most traveled airports in the world. On this day, it was empty.

As two young Americans stepped out from the jetway, the only signs of life were employees in hazmat suits, spreading out like ants to separate the passengers. Without a word, one collected the two young men, escorted them to a bus, and unceremoniously drove them to a hotel to begin their 17-day lockdown. The travelers could have no contact with anyone for the first 10 days, and then again for another seven days after they reached their final destination.  

This was the seemingly inauspicious start for these 2022-23 Schwarzman Scholars. This seventh cohort of one of the world's most highly-selective program included 143 students from 32 countries. Among the students, Herbert Crowther ’17 and Seven Richmond ’18 were University School alumni. It was the quarantine that brought this pair together and helped them develop a bond that will last a lifetime.

As the two navigated the program as close allies, everyone assumed they had been friends in high school. They were in different grades, however, and their interests didn’t cross over, so it wasn’t until China that they became close. It was their common bond of US that let them know they had a trusting friend to count on. For Seven, it was a life-saver to have Herbert as a partner in his adventure. Seven was counting on using online sources to help him learn Chinese, but because many websites and search engines are not available in China, his plan had to be modified. Happily, Herbert’s Chinese was excellent, and they talked together regularly through quarantine.

Alumnus and US trustee Jim Kralik ’82, who lives in Shanghai, remarks that it is rare for any school, college, or even some countries to have a Schwarzman Scholar. For one high school to have two is unheard of. The program is a fully-funded master's in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The vast majority of Chinese leaders studied there, and from a Chinese perspective, it is more prestigious than Oxford, Cambridge, or Harvard. 

What is it about a US education that led these two young men to be selected, and for so many other US alumni to succeed, in their Chinese and overseas experiences? For Kralik, it was the depth to which his US teachers required him to go. Through critical thinking and questioning, he was taught never to accept anything at face value. That applied to China where he ensured he was coming to his own conclusions about perceptions and misperceptions about the country where he now lives and invests. Everyone is amazed to learn, he finds, that 90% of the economic growth there in the past 20 years has been from the private sector and China is still the U.S.'s leading trading partner.

Sandy Randt ’63, who lived in Hong Kong for 18 years after serving as Ambassador to China from 2001 to 2009, believes study skills developed during his early days at the Shaker Campus helped him to become fluent in Mandarin. Ron Lee ’86, head of private wealth management for Goldman Sachs Asia, credits US for making him comfortable with the uncomfortable. His teachers challenged him to the point of being uncomfortable, but they were there to support and encourage him.

For Seven, his academic experience at US led him to become “irrationally confident” in his ability to learn new languages. At US, he dove deep into Spanish and became fluent. After doing an internship in Portugal, he became fluent in Portuguese. That led his Harvard professor to show him how easy it was to translate the skills he developed to then learn French and Italian. He did not know Chinese before going to China, but his study of Japanese helped him learn the Chinese characters. Seven is now conversant in seven languages.

Herbert’s curiosity about China began at US. He had excellent teachers and his love for the country and language took off. When the opportunity to host a student as part of our partnership with the High School Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University in Xi’an, the Crowther family jumped at the chance. They hosted Zeshi Wang ’16 who himself is now at Goldman Sachs in Dallas. (The Wangs were kind enough to return the favor hosting Herbert in Xi'an for Chinese New Year celebrations.) At US, Herbert developed the critical-thinking, writing, and language skills that gave him the confidence to navigate an undergraduate education at NYU Abu Dhabi. He laughs that his lunchtime US basketball skills led him to try out and make the college’s basketball team. He and Seven played together on the Schwarzman team where Herbert “looked up” to Seven as the dominant player scoring 30 points to his 2! 

The US motto of responsibility, loyalty, and consideration is the foundation to which Herbert and Seven returned as they began their adventure in China, supporting each other there as they will continue to support each other as they move in different directions. For Herbert it is to return to New York to work for Eurasia Group’s Political Risk Advisory Team in the Energy and Climate space. Seven turned down many Wall Street offers in favor of a private equity opportunity at Concentric Equity Partners in Chicago.

The seeds planted at US have served many alumni who continue their work around the globe. Their thoughts often return to being intentionally challenged at US, and supported in a way that develops a humble confidence, guiding them as they navigate challenges—including one of the most competitive and prestigious academic opportunities in the world. 


Read More from the Fall 2023 US Journal