Two University of Texas at Dallas alumni have been named Schwarzman Scholars, a highly selective award that funds a one-year master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Carla Ramazan BA’21 and Neel Reddy BS’19, who were both Eugene McDermott Scholars, will begin their studies in August. They are the third and fourth UT Dallas recipients of the award, joining previous scholars Matthew Salm BS’18 and Carlos Rodriguez-Cruz y Celis BS’19.
Dr. Douglas C. Dow, interim dean of the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College and director of UTD’s Office of Distinguished Scholarships, said the recognition of Ramazan and Reddy reflects the Schwarzman Foundation’s broad investment in global leadership in a wide variety of fields.
“As a skilled advocate for women’s rights, Carla will be able to prepare for a career on an international scale. And being in Beijing will help Neel in his interest in providing sustainable food supply chains across North America and East Asia. I am so proud of both and excited for the opportunities they will have during their year at Tsinghua University,” Dow said.
Ramazan, a political science graduate, was vice president of Student Government in 2018-19 and spearheaded a campuswide initiative to address sexual violence. A Truman Scholar, she also has researched gender violence in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and interned with NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Ramazan plans to attend law school and focus her career on gender rights and reproductive justice. She hopes her studies in China expand her thinking on how reproductive health care can become a priority for more nations, she said.
“I believe that developing an international perspective, with a focus on China in particular, is central to my goals. My studies in China will help me weave a global narrative on reproductive rights,” she said.
Reddy, a mechanical engineering graduate, served as a Student Ambassador at UTD. After graduation, he worked at Bain & Company, consulting for international food brands, and now works at Vow, a cultivated meat company based in Australia.
He has long been interested in increasing accessibility to sustainable, healthy food — both to alleviate the global crisis of climate change and to address the problems of increasing obesity and its related health risks, he said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-founded the nonprofit Feed the Front Line, which raised more than $600,000 to supply front-line health care workers in Texas with more than 50,000 meals. He also served as director of sales for Campus Oven, which provided college students with healthy, affordable and convenient meals prepared by professional chefs.
Applying for the Schwarzman program was an easy decision, Reddy said.
“I was immediately mesmerized by this cohort of impressive young leaders dedicated to fixing issues between the East and West,” he said.
Ramazan and Reddy were among 150 scholars selected from an initial pool of nearly 3,000 applicants. The members of the program’s seventh cohort hail from 32 countries and 106 universities.