Aya Al-Shakarchi ‘23 has never been one to shy away from educational opportunities, even when they have her traveling thousands of miles to pursue. Her latest journey has taken her to Bejing, China, where she is currently studying global affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar, one of the most prestigious graduate fellowship programs in the world.
Modeled after the Rhodes Scholars program, Schwarzman Scholars is highly selective, with a rigorous application process for students worldwide. Selected students attend a fully funded one-year master’s program with a curriculum focused on leadership, China, and global affairs at Tsinghua University.
Scholars gain experience and access through internships, cultural immersion, and mentors. The Schwarzman program helps students take on leadership positions in various industries by offering a range of career development resources.
“It’s such a great honor to be selected because I am the first student from my country and from Concordia to be selected for this program,” Al-Shakarchi said. “It’s something that will follow me for the rest of my life.”
The first thing she did after learning she had received the scholarship was call her mom and family to celebrate. As a first-generation student, Al-Shakarchi knew how much this accomplishment would mean to her parents.
“My mom is a teacher at heart, and she always told me ‘Education is your passport to a better life,’” she said.
She also addressed the imposter syndrome that can sometimes follow when applying for a well-known and prestigious scholarship.
“There are students that come from Harvard and Stanford, and they’re so intelligent. However, intelligence is not attached to a school name,” she said. “Students from Concordia can get scholarships like this, too. They just need to work hard, put themselves out there, and network.”
A Global Education
Starting her education in her native Iraq, Al-Shakarchi later attended a United World College high school in Germany before coming to Concordia College through the Davis Scholars Program.
While at Concordia, she earned a Projects for Peace grant and created Girls Lead for Peace, a cultural exchange program connecting students from the United States and Iraq. She was also selected as a Smaby Peace Scholar to study conflict resolution in Norway.
After graduating with degrees in political science and multimedia journalism, Al-Shakarchi's passion for global politics followed her into her career. She gained a position at S&P Global working in commodity markets. Her interest in the intersection between energy, finance, and global politics grew out of the four internships she completed while attending Concordia.
Al-Shakarchi took part in the Lutheran College Washington Semester, a study away program for students exploring internships at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. While in the program, she wrote for American Public Media before The New Yorker acquired the organization. She also worked for the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
“Through this internship (at the Nuclear Threat Initiative) I realized I like this — I like research,” Al-Shakarchi said. “I like the think tank space.”
These internships allowed Al-Shakarchi to create an impressive resume and eventually intern at the Institute for the Study of War, a nonprofit that publishes maps showing wars in different nations, including Ukraine and the Middle East.
Al-Shakarchi’s final internship while attending Concordia was with the Albright Stonebridge Group, a global business strategy firm in Washington, D.C.
“These four internships told me I needed to be in the geopolitics space in any capacity I could manage,” she said. “I would encourage any student to use the study away and abroad programs, because going to D.C. was a life-changing experience.”
Now, as a Schwarzman Scholar, Al-Shakarchi is taking her passion for global politics even further, with intentions of peacebuilding through education and cultural dialogues.
Her advice to students looking to follow in her footsteps is twofold: Make sure to never stop talking to people and remember that professors are there to help.
She emphasized that networking is a great way to learn about positions that may pique an interest and pointed out that no one can know there is more to learn until they talk to others.
Al-Shakarchi was able to rely on her professors during her time at Concordia. She frequently visited Dr. Kenneth Foster, former professor of political science at Concordia, and Dr. George Connell, professor emeritus-in-residence of philosophy during their office hours.
“Your professors are your advocates, especially when you go to a school like Concordia,” she said. “They have life knowledge and institutional knowledge they can pass on to you.”