Academic Honors and Fellowships
2026 Schwarzman Scholars
Schwarzman Scholars is a one-year, fully-funded master’s program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, designed to build a global community of future leaders who will strengthen understanding between China and the rest of the world.
Giancarlo Ceja is an environmental policymaker whose work and passion lie in environmental justice, previously serving at institutions like the White House and the Energy and Commerce Committee. During his career in public service, he has implemented initiatives from the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Biden-Harris’ Justice40. As a Schwarzman Scholar and onward, Giancarlo strives to bridge the equity gaps in environmental policy and protect the marginalized communities most susceptible to the climate crisis. He graduated from USC in 2024 with B.A. degrees in Environmental Studies and International Relations.
2025-2027 Voyager Scholars
The Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service supports students who have a passion for helping others, experience serving their communities, and can demonstrate an expansive view of what’s possible through public service.
Faith Buggs plans to leverage corporate philanthropy and cross-sectoral partnerships to establish and advance a global standard for human rights. Faith is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business of Cinematic Arts and a minor in Advertising.
Walker Blackwell plans to focus on increasing inmates’ access to education in order to reduce recidivism rates in the U.S. Walker is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.