Three Schwarzman Scholars Mark Historic First for Rutgers
Two Rutgers alumni and one senior were named Schwarzman Scholars – one from each campus location in a historic first for the university.
Tania Martinez, a 2022 graduate, is the first from Rutgers University-Camden selected for the prestigious award. Senior Chinonso Anyanwu from Rutgers University-Newark and alumna Nina Gohel from Rutgers University-New Brunswick were also named to the 2025-2026 Class of Schwarzman Scholars, considered one of the most selective graduate fellowships in the world.
They are among 150 scholars representing 38 countries and 105 universities to receive the opportunity to attend a one-year, fully funded master's degree program in global affairs at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing starting in August. This year’s scholars were selected from a record-breaking pool of nearly 5,000 applicants worldwide.
“Given the number of scholars globally, the fact that there are three from Rutgers is statistically pretty unlikely,” said Anne Wallen, director of the Office of Distinguished Fellowships at Rutgers-New Brunswick. “It speaks to the caliber of Rutgers students to be so well represented in this cohort.”
Not only do the recipients represent three campuses at Rutgers, their families represent three continents, Wallen said.
“I feel very lucky and very humbled to have been chosen,” said Martinez, the daughter of a Guatemalan mother and Mexican father. She grew up in a small but vibrant Latino community in Arkansas before coming to Rutgers-Camden. “I’m proud to be part of a cohort that is dedicated to the public good, and I’m also excited to learn from peers and through firsthand experiences in China.”
The scholarship – founded in 2016 by Stephen A. Schwarzman, the chairman and chief executive of private-equity firm Blackstone Group – is designed to build a community of global leaders and deepen understanding between China and the world.
Anyanwu is the third from Rutgers-Newark to receive the honor and Gohel is Rutgers-New Brunswick’s fifth Schwarzman scholar. In all, Rutgers has produced nine Schwarzman scholars, including the three named this year.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our three Schwarzman Scholars and all they express about Rutgers—our diversity, the opportunities the university creates on all our campuses, and the incredible achievements of our students in and outside the classroom and long after they graduate,” said Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway.
Former Student-Athlete Finds New Path as Entrepreneur
Anyanwu, a star basketball player from Bloomfield, came to Rutgers-Newark with dreams of becoming a professional athlete. In elementary school, Anyanwu joined the basketball team, in part because he wanted to fit in with classmates.
“Being Nigerian, people immediately said my name was too difficult to pronounce. It would always make me stand out in the roll call for class, for group projects,’’ he remembered. “Being an athlete gave me some comfort. It was a source of stability. It gave me a sense of identity.’’
His plans changed when he was sidelined by a knee injury during his first year in college.
“That almost shattered my life. I had to start thinking about what I would do when the ball stopped bouncing,’’ he said. “But it was a divine thing that I got injured. I was able to reflect and ruminate and focus on new ambitions.’’
After his injury, he pivoted and focused on his interest in the business world. Anyanwu, a double major in finance and economics, is building a startup that uses AI to help young people from all backgrounds gain financial literacy and job skills. He believes learning about the Chinese economy is crucial for leaders and entrepreneurs, especially if they plan to have a worldwide reach.
He started building his company, Synergy, after spotting a need for youth to learn more about professional development and mental health. “It’s separate pieces of a young person’s life coming together for a greater purpose,’’ he said.
Last spring, the idea won him a fellowship from The Resolution Project, a global nonprofit that supports and mentors budding entrepreneurs who hope to improve their communities.
Anyanwu’s drive to make knowledge and networks more accessible is rooted in his childhood as the son of immigrants who struggled to get by. His hometown, located between Newark and the suburb of the more affluent Glen Ridge gave him a perspective on disparities that existed between the two communities.
“I got a good sense of the contrast when it comes to quality of life, education, health and economics,” he said.
He’s looking forward to learning about the interplay between China’s status and influence as a global power and its domestic economy.
“Within 40 years, they were able to lift 800 million people out of poverty, statistics that have been cited by the World Bank,” he said. “That doesn’t mean there’s no more inequality, but it lifted them out of utter destitution of the lower class.”
Continuing Her Education in China
Gohel, a 2023 Rutgers-New Brunswick graduate, is currently studying in China as a recipient of the Yenching Scholarship. She has been taking graduate-level courses at the Yenching Academy of Peking University in China since the fall of 2023 and will graduate with a master's degree in law and society before attending Schwarzman College.
While at Rutgers, Gohel, the daughter of Indian immigrants, was the first Asian American and Pacific Islander woman to be elected as vice president of the student body. During college, Gohel was an intern at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of General Counsel and the U.S. Department of Interior. She has since gone on to work for the U.S. Department of State.
During her senior year and following graduation, Nina worked as a staff assistant for the White House within the Executive Office of the President.
As a Yenching Scholar, Gohel has been researching China's gender quota system, which aims to guarantee the presence of women in political governing bodies. Gohel said she hopes to take aspects of the system to support women in developing nations worldwide.
“Currently, I am drawing insights from gender quota systems around the globe to develop a transferable, foundational model that empowers women to serve in public office and fosters equitable representation,” she said. “My work in China is crucial due to the limited data on the nation’s quota system. From a broader perspective, for the foreseeable future, China will remain a key factor for U.S. decision-making in international politics.”
Gohel added, “This is why the mission of Schwarzman is so important: we need global leaders who are knowledgeable about China to make informed decisions that ensure positive outcomes. I hope to contribute to this effort with a career in the U.S. government.”
Alumna Continues Jam-Packed Journey of Scholarship and Activism
Just three years removed from earning her bachelor’s degree at Rutgers-Camden – where she was a triple major in political science, philosophy, and global studies – Martinez has already realized her dream of working as an advocate in one of the nation’s most dynamic hubs for immigrant life. She currently serves as assistant director of the intergovernmental affairs team for the Department of Small Business Services in New York City.
“One of my biggest motivators in pursuing this opportunity was the values of the Schwarzman program,” Martinez said. “The idea of global connection really resonates with me, especially as it relates to China. It’s critical to be more interconnected and understanding of one another – not just between different cultures, but also different fields.”
Martinez’s time at Rutgers-Camden laid the groundwork for her future accomplishments. She was an active member of College Democrats and Project 555, which reached 555 of New Jersey’s high schools in its effort to encourage youth voter participation. She even started a podcast, Voices of Immigration, that caught the attention of President Holloway, who dubbed her “the busiest person in Camden.”
Toward the end of her undergraduate career, under the mentorship of Laura Collins, director of the Office of Scholar Development and Fellowship Advising, Martinez applied to and was chosen for the Urban Fellows program in New York City, an opportunity that led to her current role.
As she prepares for the next phase of her academic life, Martinez is encouraging her fellow Rutgers-Camden Scarlet Raptors and other Latino scholars to boldly pursue their passions.
“I used to be afraid to ask for support, but I’ve been empowered by my community to be here,” Martinez said. “I know more of us can overcome our fears and lean on our community to uplift each other and discover new opportunities.”
Writers Mike Lucas, Carrie Stetler, Dustin Petzold and Christina Lynn contributed to this article.
