Content warning: This story contains mentions of gun violence.
McCormick senior Anita Bassey was named a Schwarzman Scholar in January, selected from the largest applicant pool in program history.
Schwarzman Scholars attend a one-year, fully-funded master’s program in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The program is often regarded as one of the most prestigious graduate fellowship programs.
Bassey plans to study global healthcare policy. With the research skills she is gaining as a biomedical engineering major, she said she wants to jumpstart change beyond the technical.
“Research needs to be translational,” Bassey said. “It needs to be able to get from the lab bench to the people that actually need it. In order to translate, I felt as though I needed to get the policy side of things.”
Outside of the classroom, Bassey said her emphasis on mental health helped develop her leadership skills within the Northwestern community. She said she takes a special interest in wellness, as a gun violence survivor three years ago.
Bassey said the experience has caused her to have a different perspective than most.
“Having gone through the things that I have, it’s easier for me to be a bit more understanding,” Bassey said. “Along with being a STEM student, researcher in the lab, I think that really helps me as a leader, to be influential.”
Mona Dugo, the assistant vice president of wellness and dean of students, first met Bassey in the hospital the day after the shooting.
Dugo said she was surprised to see Bassey’s humor and optimism standing strong even after the traumatic experience. These two characteristics became a constant in every interaction they had, she said.
“She was herself,” Dugo said. “I remember feeling like she’s going to be OK because she had this resiliency and joy that struck me. She did not seem hopeless or afraid.”
McCormick Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Ellen Worsdall said Bassey’s vibrant energy touches everyone around her.
While Worsdall said other Schwarzman Scholars might be nervous about going abroad for a year and interacting with new people, Bassey’s natural curiosity and approach to life sets her apart.
“She’s going to be probably their biggest cheerleader and be the person that’s going to probably bridge all these other different scholars together,” Worsdall said.
After her year at Tsinghua University, Bassey plans to get her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. She wants to research affordable diagnostics and therapeutics, using her policy knowledge from the program.
For now, she remains immersed in her classes and extracurricular activities, including NU Bike Club, NU’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and McCormick School of Engineering and Feinberg School of Medicine labs.
“It’s just been this excitement,” Bassey said. “There’s days where I feel tired, but then I keep remembering that I’m going to China, and I’m like, ‘It can’t be that bad.’”
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