A recent graduate of LSU marked a first for the university when he was awarded a prestigious scholarship to study in China.
Harper Doerr, an LSU Ogden Honors College alumnus, was recently named a Schwarzman Scholar, becoming the first in LSU history. He will live in Beijing, China, and complete a fully-funded master’s degree at Tsinghua University. A news release from the honors college called the Schwarzman Scholar program “one of the world’s most prestigious graduate fellowships.”
Doerr, who is from Baton Rouge, is one of 150 scholars this year; the class includes students from 43 countries and 114 universities, according to the honors college.
The program was “designed to meet the challenges of the 21st Century,” according to the Schwarzmann website. One of the reasons for its founding in 2015 was to decrease tension between China and the United States.
In a phone interview, Doerr said the news still hasn’t settled in completely. He said he is glad to be the first Schwarzmann Scholar from LSU but hopes he is not the last.
“I hope someone sees that I did this and decides to apply themselves because it’s not a super commonly-known program,” he said. “I am super grateful to represent LSU and I hope that it inspires other people to continue of that same path or do things in a similar realm.”
Doerr was an ambitious student at LSU. He triple majored in political science, philosophy and sociology with a concentration in criminology, according to the honors college. He said what prepared him the most is always trying to be the best version of himself.
His Sigma Nu fraternity brother Charlie McKenzie called Doerr’s acceptance to the program “another accolade he can put on his shelf that he has so completely deserved due to his hard work and diligence towards everything he has ever had on his plate.”
McKenzie, a biological sciences senior minoring in psychology, said Doerr’s leadership has had a positive impact on their fraternity.
“Harper is an obviously impressive person on paper, but just as impressive in real life,” McKenzie said. “You’d hardly expect someone from LSU to earn a distinction of such high merits like Schwarzman, but the way that he has carried himself and succeeded for the past 4 years has made him entirely deserving of such a great honor.”
Doerr said he applied to the scholarship on a whim. When he became a finalist, he buckled down and practiced for the interviews with his friends and at the Olinde Career Center. He credited Tommy Karam, a distinguished instructor in the business college, with helping him succeed.
Doerr advised those who want to pursue the scholarship to be “completely honest about yourself in all aspects” and to be as genuine as possible.
“It worked out for me,” he said. “…If they accept you with your flaws, you know you’re in the right place.”
The program will be Doerr’s first time out of the country outside a school trip to Canada. The new environment is the most exciting and stressful part of the program for him, and he looks forward to the opportunity to learn from it, he said.
He said he will probably go to law school after he returns, but he added that he will always be open to new, unexpected experiences like becoming a Schwarzman Scholar.
