DU’s Undergraduate Student Government president, Cameron Hickert, has been chosen as a Schwarzman Scholar.
This honor, which is in its inaugural year, will take the senior physics and international studies double major from Colorado Springs, Colorado to Beijing, China this August with other top students from around the world to participate in a fully-funded, one-year master program. The program aims to “respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century” with a focus on China’s role, according to the Schwarzman Scholars website.
The Schwarzman Scholars program was made possible largely through the efforts of Stephen A. Schwarzman, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone, a global investment and advisory firm based in New York City. According to the Schwarzman Scholars website, “Mr. Schwarzman has personally donated $100 million to this effort and is leading a campaign to raise $300 million more to fully endow the program—the single largest charitable effort in China’s history coming from largely international donors.”
Out of the 3000-plus applicants for the Schwarzman Scholarship, only 111 were selected—just 3.7 percent. Hickert says a few things came into play that helped him make the cut.
“I would say the combination of things DU has allowed me to pursue made the difference,” he said. “There’s not many places you can get a B.S. and a B.A. at the same time, and having studied abroad through DU in Beijing last year was another component. And experience with the DU Debate Union helped in the interview. But more importantly, the people at DU—friends, faculty, staff—pushed me for the past few years; there’s not many places with that combination of people and opportunities.”
Hickert looks forward to the program, as it will help him decide what he wants to do in the coming years.
“Learning for learning’s sake and exploring for exploring’s sake sounds like a sweet opportunity, and doing it right after graduating from undergrad seems like good timing… I would say next year will also really help me decide whether I want to move forward in academia, or whether it is time to take on that thing people call the ‘real world.’”
Through his humbleness, Hickert explained a few things other students can do to achieve success like he has as a college student.
“I’m a big proponent of applying for anything that interests you. Since a lot of selection processes are so random, you might as well toss your hat in the ring. Worst-case scenario, you just got a little more practice writing an application for the next opportunity that comes up. Also, reach out to others for help in honing your applications, and return the favor for them; by the end of it, you will have discovered a solid group of people all stoked to help each other grow and improve.”
Through all the scholarships, classes and internships, Hickert says he has a secret method to success that any student can utilize.
“I found motivational YouTube videos can help when I am struggling to work during late nights—however, the key is to never watch them, only to listen to them. If you watch them, it makes it harder to relate to your own situation, and—more importantly—you will realize how cheesy they are, which then reduces their ability to motivate.”
