The University of Texas at Austin continues to produce global leaders, with Class of 2024 graduate Cameron Waltz being named one of this year's recipients of the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship. Among the most prestigious student awards in higher education, the scholarship is awarded to individuals pursuing leadership roles in academia, industry, government, or nonprofits.
Waltz, a Liberal Arts Honors student and COLA Dean's Distinguished Graduate, earned degrees in Asian studies, international relations, Chinese, and government. This comprehensive academic foundation reflects his deep commitment to understanding the complexities of international relations, particularly between the United States and China.
Beyond the classroom, Waltz distinguished himself through significant research and international experiences. He published research on China’s security engagement with the Global South during his fellowship at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Additionally, while on the Boren Scholarship, he studied Chinese at National Taiwan University.
With the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, Waltz will attend Stanford University to pursue a Master of Arts in East Asian Studies from the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. His studies will focus on U.S. policy toward China, with the goal of contributing to more effective management of Sino-American relations throughout his career.
“My hope is that the Knight-Hennessy program will give me the tools I need to not only contribute new ideas to debates on U.S.-China relations, but also to contribute to building a community of scholars and policymakers with a unified theory of change for managing Sino-American relations over the next decades,” Waltz said.
Douglas Bruster, director of UT Austin's Office of Distinguished and Postgraduate Scholarships, said Waltz’s success reflects his longstanding dedication to international affairs. “Cameron’s passion for international affairs, especially as it affects the U.S. and China, is exactly what the world needs right now,” Bruster said. “He demonstrated his intent to work in geopolitics throughout his undergrad at UT, and we’re happy to see his career continue at Stanford.” The Office of Distinguished and Postgraduate Scholarships provides support for numerous prestigious post-baccalaureate scholarships to students and alumni from any college at The University of Texas at Austin.
After graduating from Stanford, Cameron hopes to either pursue a Ph.D. in Political Science or return to Washington, D.C., to participate in the debates shaping the U.S. policy toward China and East Asia.
The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, established in 2016, is one of the most generous graduate scholarship programs in the world. It aims to develop a community of future global leaders to address complex challenges through collaboration and innovation.
For UT Austin students interested in prestigious scholarship opportunities like the Knight-Hennessy, the Office of Distinguished and Postgraduate Scholarships provides resources and guidance throughout the application process.