Luise, on the Road to China as Schwarzman Scholar

China is on the near horizon for alumna Luise Castlunger, as the home of her nascent startup and as the sito of her studies. She is one of 154 students selected from more than 3,600 applicants from around the world to participate in the Schwarzman Scholars program, a one-year Master degree program in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The program, launched in 2016, is sponsored by the Schwarzman Foundation, created by Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone.

Born in Germany, raised in the Dolomites in Italy, 23-year old Luise graduated from Bocconi in October in the Bachelor in Economics and Management for Arts, Culture and Communication. And now she's readying herself to leave for China to kick off an entrepreneurial project of her own and then start her Master studies in August, focusing on China's role in global trends and personal leadership, taught in the Schwarzman College, inside the Tsinghua campus.

"I'm grateful for the international outlook Bocconi encouraged in me and the opportunity to do an exchange in Shanghai," Luise says. "Now I want to focus on the field of tourism. I will soon be going to Shanghai to kick off my own startup, a consulting company to foster relations between the European Alpine regions and the Chinese tourism market. During this pandemic I realized how important tourism is to bring cultures closer together and unite the world."

First stop Shanghai and then moving to Beijing in August to begin the program. "I was told about the scholarship when I was in Shanghai, how it was such a unique opportunity. I was drawn to the fact that the purpose is to train leaders for the next generation and foster a connection between China and the rest of the world. I hope to create a unique network for myself and develop skills to apply in sustainable tourism."

"Applying was a hard and long process, including writing three essays and an online interview with a panel of distinguished interviewers. But now I'm happy, and almost incredulous, to have been selected from 3,600 applications. I hope to find people who want to make a difference like I do. And I also want to learn more about China - I've been studying Chinese for some time already."