Yale-NUS student awarded 2023 Yenching Scholarship

Having benefitted from Yale-NUS College’s liberal arts model which has been foundational in shaping her academic interests and training her to become a critical and interdisciplinary thinker, Dou Jingzhi (Class of 2023) was drawn to the interdisciplinary programme at the Yenching Academy of Peking University. Upon her successful application to the programme, Jingzhi, who recently graduated from Yale-NUS with a major in Anthropology and a minor in Global Antiquity, will be pursuing a postgraduate fellowship as a Yenching scholar.

The Yenching Scholarship is one of the most selective and competitive international scholarships in the world, annually awarded to about 116 outstanding young scholars and future leaders who have demonstrated a talent for leadership and innovation with an acceptance rate of just two per cent. Jingzhi is the fourth Yenching Scholar from Yale-NUS. The first recipient was Helena Auerswald in 2019, followed by Ann Chen in 2021 and Tan Hong Kai in 2022.

Read on as Jingzhi shares more about her Yenching scholarship application process and how the interdisciplinary education at Yale-NUS shaped her growth and academic interests.

Q: How you feel about being awarded the scholarship?

I am honoured to receive the Yenching Fellowship and join a diverse cohort of peers in this rare interdisciplinary graduate programme. As Yenching Academy is in Peking University, Beijing, I am also really excited for the opportunity to explore more in-depth a new academic space and an unfamiliar city. As an anthropology graduate, I am always looking for opportunities to understand diverse cultures and communities.

I am indebted to my professors, the Centre for International & Professional Experience (CIPE) advisors, friends, alumni and Writer’s Centre tutors who have aided, guided and encouraged me throughout the application process. I am especially grateful to Assistant Professor of Social Sciences (Anthropology) Zachary Moss Howlett for his guidance since my second year. His course titled Anthropology of China, inspired me to major in Anthropology, and he has given me consistent support throughout the Yenching scholarship application process. Special thanks to Zhana Sandeva, the CIPE advisor in charge of global scholarships, who provided advice to me on the application.

Q: Why did you apply for the scholarship?

I was drawn to Yenching’s interdisciplinary programme, which I find is similar to Yale-NUS as it also offers flexibility in the courses I can choose. I will be joining the Law and Society concentration, but I also look forward to taking classes in Chinese literature and history, which is an interest that builds on my second year Summer Research Programme (SRP) at Yale-NUS. SRP enables Yale-NUS students to pursue full-time, funded research in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences during the semester break from June to August. It includes skill-building workshops on abstract writing for research, creation of posters and presentations, as well as effective communication and time management.

I benefitted from flexibility, and I believe the Yenching programme will allow me to gain a deeper understanding into issues that I care about from a cross-disciplinary angle, which I deeply value. At the same time, I look forward to learning from accomplished faculty and a diverse and talented group of peers, many of whom hail from different academic and professional backgrounds. It will be an invaluable opportunity to listen to different insights and be exposed to new perspectives. More personally, being in Beijing will also allow me an opportunity to reconnect with my heritage.

Q: How has your time at Yale-NUS, whether academics or residential living, shaped you in terms of personal growth and academic interests?

The liberal arts education at Yale-NUS has allowed me to thrive academically. I had the freedom to explore a diverse range of disciplines, from philosophy, ancient languages such as Latin, literature, creative writing, urban studies and anthropology. The wide exposure I have received, as well as guidance and instruction from professors who are deeply passionate about their respective fields, have inspired me to think both in-depth about issues as well draw on cross-disciplinary knowledge to further inform my opinions.

The research and experiential opportunities that Yale-NUS offered shaped my academic interests. For example, during the summer break in my second year, I undertook an SRP with Assistant Professor of Humanities (Literary Arts, Creative Writing) Heidi Stalla during which we traced the histories of 20th century literati as they travelled and corresponded across Asia and Europe. Subsequently, I went on exchange to Barnard College, where I took a translation studies course, during which I translated a piece of work we had looked at during the SRP.

I enjoyed the close proximity to my peers, both academically in small seminar classes where we engaged in active discussions about academic materials, and personally, in the dining halls, suites, and board games gatherings, which allowed me to build friendships that I hold dear to my heart. During the first two years of my studies at Yale-NUS, I was also part of Tònes, a multilingual magazine that drew on the diversity of the Yale-NUS community to encourage cross-cultural dialogues. As part of the Executive Committee, and later the editor-in-chief of the student organisation, I was able to facilitate the publication of Tònes issues as well as plan events that celebrated the linguistic and cultural diversity.

Q: How do you see the Yenching scholarship benefitting or aligning with your future career plans?

I do not have any set career plans now, but I look forward to making use of the flexibility that Yenching Academy provides to explore the academic and cultural spaces in China before deciding on a career path.