NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Class of 2019 alumni Rastraraj Bhandari has been selected as a Yenching Scholar. He is one of 130 outstanding young scholars in the fifth cohort to enroll in the interdisciplinary Master’s in China Studies program in September at the Yenching Academy of Peking University.
Bhandari, 23, from Nepal, graduated from NYUAD in May where he majored in Economics. His senior Capstone project explored “willingness to pay” for climate action, the maximum price a consumer will pay to adapt to climate change, among youths in developing countries by examining accrued first-hand data. Bhandari studied how much young people are willing to pay to build resilient infrastructures to help them stay safe from glacial flooding in the Himalayas. He aims to pursue politics and international relations at the Yenching Academy of Peking University.
Bhandari said, “I want to use the Yenching Scholarship to develop a nuanced understanding of China’s evolving role in combating climate change and leading global environmental governance. Yenching Scholarship seemed to be the best fit to advance a long-term career in high-level climate action, finance, and diplomacy.”
Designed to promote interdisciplinarity in the study of contemporary China, the Yenching Academy of Peking University – a prestigious institution of higher learning – underlines the value of thinking about its development from both Chinese and international perspectives. As a fully-funded residential program at China’s top university, the Yenching Academy builds bridges between China and the world by gathering young people who show promise to lead and innovate in their fields.
The Yenching Academy of Peking University aims to build a platform for China-oriented talent and to shape a new generation of global citizens with a nuanced understanding of China and its role in the world. Bhandari will be the fourth Yenching Scholar to come from NYUAD.
