First Mount Holyoke Schwarzman Scholar named

Diamond Abiakalam-Chinagorom ’25 has been selected as a Schwarzman Scholar. This scholarship program selects outstanding future leaders to pursue a one-year, fully funded master’s degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing, allowing students to gain a better understanding of China and global affairs.

Abiakalam-Chinagorom, from Lagos, Nigeria, is the first Mount Holyoke College Schwarzman Scholar and one of 150 members of the program’s tenth cohort, selected from a pool of nearly 5,000 applicants — the largest in the program’s history. She is an aspiring lawyer who is majoring in economics at Mount Holyoke and first learned of the program on LinkedIn.

“I found a Nigerian man [on the site] who went to law school, and I am interested in going to law school, so I wanted to see what he had done,” she said. “I read he had been a Schwarzman Scholar, and I was curious to know about this program.”

Abiakalam-Chinagorom was impressed with what she learned about the program and continued to research China’s role on the geopolitical stage. An important part of her research involved listening to “The China in Africa Podcast.”

“I don’t think a lot of people are paying attention to the role [China] plays in Africa specifically, and I thought the program would be a great way to learn more from China’s perspective,” she said. “When you hear about China-Africa relations, it’s either what America thinks or what African scholars think. You don’t come across what Chinese scholars or the Chinese government think.”

After networking with previous Schwarzman Scholars, Abiakalam-Chinagorom reached out to the Fellowships Office last February for help in preparing her application. Briana Chace, associate director of fellowships, immediately sprang into action, reviewing Abiakalam-Chinagorom’s essays, arranging for mock interviews with faculty and reaching out to other institutions for key insights into the application process.

“I am so immensely proud and excited to see where a year of studying in China will take Diamond,” Chace said. “From the start of our collaboration, I have been heartened by her thoughtful nature and the care with which she approached the application. I am truly honored to have been part of her journey. It is clear just how deeply she regards the stories and lives of people and how connected economic policy is to enacting positive change that can transform livelihoods. I do not doubt that she will continue to engage in purposeful leadership through this program and beyond.”

“Schwarzman is one of the most competitive fellowships globally, and as Mount Holyoke’s first ever recipient, Diamond’s success has placed the College among a very selective list of institutions,” Jaime Grillo, executive director of the Career Development Center, said. “I am proud of Diamond’s drive, perseverance and commitment to the application and interview process. It is also important to recognize the hard work and diligence of Briana Chace and the Committee on Fellowships. This was truly a collaborative effort.”

Abiakalam-Chinagorom will start the Schwarzman Scholars program in August 2025.