As in tradition, Yenching Academy keeps in touch with alumni around the world by engaging them in its worldwide alumni community. The Alumni Enrichment Program invites YCA alumni back as on-campus consultants. They participated in the Alumni Research Salon events and spoke at the Alumni Lecture series, sharing with our current Scholars their experience in academic and career development. Our Alumni Relations Secretary team worked like a bridge, to connect our alumni around the world, holding alumni get-togethers in Singapore, Washington, Berlin, Oxford, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Alumni Enrichment Program
Under its Alumni Enrichment Program 2025, Yenching Academy invited a couple alumni from different countries back to the Academy. During their stays at the Academy, our alumni visiting scholars acted as stay-on-campus consultants, answering questions about academic affairs, career development and daily life issues. They organised alumni dialogues and special events and participated in or facilitated other YCA projects, such as YGS and study trips. The alumni visiting scholars thus made new contributions to the Academy’s development.
The Academy invited six alumni for the Alumni Enrichment Program 2025:
Huw John Roberts (UK, Cohort 2021) is a doctoral researcher in Information, Communication and the Social Sciences at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on global governance and AI policy.
Liu Ruiwen (China, Cohort 2020) is pursuing a doctoral degree at the School of Business at Freie Universität Berlin and concurrently a senior consultant on business processes and tax matters at the Chinese Services Group (CSG) in Deloitte Germany.
Claudine Ukubereyimfura (Rwanda, Cohort 2020) is a specialisation learning coach (policy and advocacy) of the Bachelor of Entrepreneurial Leadership (BEL) Program at the African Leadership University (ALU).
Agostina Blengino (Italy, Cohort 2019) is the Project Manager for Cooperation and Strategy of the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI).
Vedika Kedia (India, Cohort 2020) is a doctoral student at the University of Oxford’s Department of Education.
Ricarda Brosch (Germany, Cohort 2015) is Curator of the East and South Asia collections at Museum am Rothenbaum (MARKK) and concurrently a PhD student at the Courtauld Institute.
During their stays at the Academy, the six alumni visiting scholars had one-on-one meetings with the current YCA Scholars, giving advice and support on the students’ academic research and career planning. Additionally, they designed and participated in diverse special events.
In the spring semester of 2025, Huw John Roberts, Liu Ruiwen and Claudine Ukubereyimfura co-organised an alumni dialogue themed “From Research to Practice”. In this dialogue, the participating alumni talked about how to apply academic and research achievements to practice, with their experience in fields of AI, economics and education. The dialogue shed light on the significance of academic training in career development and social practice.
Agostina Blengino hosted an online event titled “The End of Traditional Diplomacy? Cities as the New Global Players”. In the online conversation with Francisco Mugaburu, Associate Director for International Relations and Cooperation of the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI), Agostina examined “city diplomacy”. The two dived into the changing role of cities in international cooperation, the importance of inter-city networks, and the opportunities and challenges faced by cities in global governance.
Vedika Kedia and Ricarda Brosch joined the 2025 Fall Alumni Enrichment Program and co-hosted a mentorship session at the Academy. They talked about their doctoral studies and researches, the challenges they met in the academic career, and their experience and reflections on China studies in the current geopolitical landscape. Ricarda introduced the exhibition “Hot off the Press: Impressions of Modernity in 1920s China” she was working on. The exhibition covered a wide array of topics and objects, such as media and modernity, nation-building, modern metropolises, new woman and new décor, theatre-related presses and popular culture, and visual legacy from the Republican period. Ricarda gave the exhibition catalogues as the gift to the Yenching Academy Library.
Before the Program ended, the alumni visiting scholars submitted individual research reports based on their own research interests, covering a wide array of topics, including an analytical framework for Global AI Governance Initiative, the decisive factors for willingness of internal reporting of non-financial corporate misconduct, Beijing’s city diplomacy through urban governance, sustainable development and international cooperation, and the exploration of the Asian knowledge traditions in China and India.
Alumni Research Salon
From March to November, at the initiative of Raunab Singh Khatri, an Alumni Relations secretary from Nepal, the Academy organised five Alumni Research Salon events on topics of academic research, public issues and career development.
The Alumni Research Salon series was kicked off with a speech by Clara Wang, a Cohort 2019 alumna from the USA, who elaborated on her in-depth analysis of the processes and mechanism of scholarly publishing. Hamsini Hariharan, a Cohort 2019 alumna from India was invited to the second Salon event, focusing on the evolution and current challenges of the India-China relations. The third event was themed on academic and policy-related careers. Clementine Pippa Ebel, a Cohort 2023 alumna from the UK and Vedika Kedia, a Cohort 2020 alumna from India joined the event, exploring issues concerning career development. At the fourth event, Markéta Bajgerová Verly, a Cohort 2018 from Czech Republic presented his research on the war-themed museums in China and his reflections on historical narratives and public memories. The Alumni Research Salon series was wrapped up with a lecture by David Moser, Associate Professor of Chinese Studies at Beijing Capital Normal University, who addressed the character amnesia and discussed Chinese reading and writing in a digital era.
The five Alumni Research Salon events were hosted by Raunab Singh Khatri (Nepal, Cohort 2019), Song Tianyun (China, Cohort 2019), Chonnipha Piriyalertsak (Thailand, Cohort 2024), and Andrew Rule (USA, Cohort 2024). The alumni and the current scholars worked closely and in concert for the successful events.
Alumni Lecture Series
On February 22, José Izquierdo, a Cohort 2016 alumnus from Spain gave a session at the Academy. As a cross-border M&A lawyer, José appreciated his studying experience at the Academy and stressed on the importance of leveraging the Academy’s resources, building lasting bonds, and cultivating comprehensive capabilities.
On May 14, Lucila San Martín, a Cohort 2016 alumna from Argentina had a face-t0-face mentorship talk with our current scholars at Jingyuan Courtyard 3, centring on her living experience and cultural observation in China and her career development after graduation. Working with Wellcome Trust for creative and cultural advocacy, Lucila keeps in touch with her fellow graduates of Cohort 2016, who have made brilliant achievements in various areas, including diplomacy, writing and academic research.
Arjun Mehrotra, a Cohort 2021 alumnus from India had a meeting with current scholars on June 17. Recalling his studying years at the Academy, Arjun noted that it’s important to make good use of the Academy’s resources and accumulate cross-cultural experience, to get fully prepared for future career.
On September 19, Casey Wang, a Cohort 2020 alumna from the USA and Sun Wen, a Cohort 2021 alumnus from China joined current scholars, sharing their academic and career development at Harvard Law School and the University of Cambridge after graduation. Their inspiring talks shed light on advanced legal studies for our current scholars.
On November 3, Alessio Wei Chen, a Cohort 2016 alumnus from Italy shared his continuous engagement in education in China after graduation. He noted that the cross-cultural academic and research training at the Academy was a great help when he tried to translate his academic interests into the career practice. Thanks to the training, he was able to push the boundaries of cross-cultural understanding and knowledge dissemination in teaching and communication.
On December 11, Rosie Levine, an American Cohort 2016 alumna dived into US-China relations in areas of politics, science and technology, and cultural exchange, from perspectives of the current landscape and her personal observations. She noted that learning in China would be a precious opportunity for our international students in their future career development.
Alumni Relations Secretary Team
On February 1, Liu Ruiwen, Chinese Alumni Relations secretary, from Cohort 2020 hosted an alumni get-together at the Galerie Met in Berlin, to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The artists in the exhibition were invited to present the artistic conception and philosophy of their art pieces. And together with the Chinese calligraphers, our alumni celebrated the Chinese New Year in a traditional Chinese way by writing “fu” characters and couplets.
On February 7, Yan Zhaoyi, Chinese Alumni Relations secretary, from Cohort 2019 held the first spring concert “Boundless” in the Holywell Music Room at the University of Oxford. A continuation of her “Epilogue” graduation concert in the summer of 2021 at Yenching Academy, Yan invited her fellow alumni to a warm reunion in the melodies that transcend nationality and culture.
On July 27, Chinese Alumni Relations secretaries Jiang Bofang (Cohort 2022) and Liu Xiaolin (Cohort 2019) co-organised a networking session for the alumni, current scholars and the outstanding participants of the YCA Summer Camp 2025. The alumni recalled their study and life at the Academy, which is a supportive community with a multicultural, open academic environment. The networking session served as an orientation event for the newly enrolled scholars, creating a strong sense of belonging for them in the YCA community.
On August 23, over 20 alumni met at the party co-hosted by Chinese Alumni Relations secretaries Yu Songqin (Cohort 2019) and Yuan Yan (Cohort 2022) in Shanghai. In this heartwarming reunion, the participating alumni shared their views on career development, academic research and personal choices.
From June 8 to 13, a YCA team went to Hong Kong SAR and Zhuhai for a field study trip at the invitation of the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF). Chen Zhenxing, a Chinese alumnus from Cohort 2015 and our Alumni Relations secretary in the Greater Bay Area, organised a get-together in Hong Kong for the YCA alumni and the visiting team. The reunion was warmly received. On September 25, Chen Zhenxing and Ian Wong, a Cohort 2023 alumnus from the USA co-hosted an alumni party for career development. The participants included both YCA alumni engaging in diverse areas and recent graduates, who had a good talk over career development and personal growth.
YCA Alumni Mixer 2025
On the December 22, the Academy threw the Alumni Mixer 2025 at the atrium on the second floor of Jingyuan Courtyard 3. The event was co-designed by Yao Zhen Yu, a Cohort 2023 alumnus from Australia and Cristian de Silveira, a Brazilian alumnus from the same cohort. They worked with Matheus Bender (Brazil, Cohort 2025), Director of Academic Affairs of the GSU Executive Committee. At the Mixer, YCA alumni recalled the warm memory of the Academy and shared their academic and career development after graduation. They also answered academic- and career-related questions from our current scholars. Through the event, our alumni reconnected with the YCA community and our current scholars felt in person the warmth of the YCA family. Together, they forged stronger community bonds.
At a Glance
The Academy, its alumni and current scholars had a fruitful year of 2025. With the ongoing Alumni Enrichment Program and many other events, YCA alumni and scholars have forged a shared memories and strong bonds, as well as new thoughts and endless possibilities. Transcending time and regions, the ever-growing bonds of the Yenching community have become the bedrock for the Academy’s steady progress and success.
