Prestigious scholarships take York University business students to China

Schulich School students attend worldclass Chinese universities, preparing to become future entrepreneurial leaders

Tiffany Kwan is getting ready to graduate this year with an international Bachelor of Business Administration (iBBA) from the Schulich School of Business at York University. When she walks across the convocation stage in the fall, she would have already gained valuable global experience, alongside fulfilling her academic requirements.

“I am grateful to York University for all the global opportunities that it offers to students. At Schulich specifically, there are also opportunities to earn credits while working internationally, and this encouraged me to look for professional opportunities beyond Canada,” says Kwan, who has worked in the United States and is now studying in China. “Thanks to the school’s connections with its international university partners.”

Schulich Dean Detlev Zwick says strategic partnerships with educational institutions around the world is a key priority for the school. “We are laser focused on enhancing the career readiness and job opportunities for our students in this global business environment. To help students like Tiffany and others, we are creating opportunities through partnerships with top tier institutions worldwide. While Schulich offers various scholarships and bursaries for international exchange programs, we also facilitate full scholarships by host institutions to help reduce the financial burden on our students.”

York also offers a number of other scholarships, bursaries and experiential learning awards that are internationally focused.

Kwan explored study abroad opportunities, passionate to understand how international relations can propel entrepreneurship and to do business globally. “Since the world is becoming more globalized, it’s really important to learn to work with people of different backgrounds and exchange is a great way to learn how to do that.” 

She is an exchange student in Fudan University in Shanghai, one of the international financial hubs. “The university offers a lot of interesting courses from an Asian economy perspective, so I have learned a lot about how business is done in China and how China has become the epicentre for international trade and supply chain,” says an excited Kwan.

Although Kwan’s ethnic background is Chinese, she grew up in Trinidad and Tobago and Canada, with limited Mandarin language skills. “Now that I am in China, I have the opportunity to practice the language, while learning more and connecting to another part of my identity,” she says.

She believes gaining fluency in the language will be an added advantage, back in Canada. It will also be a great asset when she returns to China next. “I would encourage other students to take advantage of exchange opportunities since it’s a great way to meet new people and learn about different cultures,” says Kwan.

Taking advantage of international opportunities like this during her undergraduate degree at York might have helped Kwan’s journey after York. Kwan is among the top four percent applicants for the highly competitive Schwarzman Scholarship program at Tsinghua University where she will pursue a Master of Global Affairs degree. Inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University, the Schwarzman Scholarship was  co-founded by Tsinghua University and Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman of U.S. investment and advisory firm Blackstone.

Kwan, strongly recommends interested students to connect with peers while at York about international experiential learning opportunities. In fact, she learned about the highly competitive Schwarzman scholarship program from another York student, who is currently participating in the Peking University Future Leaders program.

The Future Leaders program is popular among iBBA students, as it allows them to graduate with two degrees. Hoang “Jack” Lam and Alexander Wirch are preparing to embark on the international portion of their education this fall at Peking University (PKU). The Future Leaders program at Peking is open to the top undergraduate students from elite business schools from around the world.

“We are both very excited to become a part of the program,” says Wirch, who was a national finalist at the L’Oréal Canada Brandstorm competition along with Lam in 2023.

They both are classic examples of ambitious and enterprising students with leadership qualities that the program aims to encourage. Wirch served as a first-year representative and director of corporate relations for the Schulich Undergraduate Business Society and director of conferences for York Marketing Association. He was also a national finalist at the Labatt Breweries of Canada – Corona Case Competition and will become Visa Canada’s first Merchants & Acquiring intern this summer.

On the other hand, Lam completed his marketing and public relations internship at the Canadian arm of the French multinational personal care company L’Oréal, in April. “The education at Schulich has prepared me for globalized world. This wealth of knowledge in combination with networking opportunities landed me as L’Oréal Canada’s youngest intern.”

Lam hopes to take advantage of the two years he will be spending in China to reconnect with his Chinese roots and explore the country through travel. Similarly, Wirch who has lived in Ecuador and China, looks forward to continuing to broaden his international lived experience.  

Both Lam and Wirch are excited to embark on the second part of their educational journey this fall. Upon completion of their education at PKU in Fall 2026, they will be eligible to cross the convocation stage twice – once in China and once in Canada, an opportunity not many 20-somethings can boast of. They both believe their York education will have a lasting impact on their future as global leaders in their chosen careers.