#TrinityGrad18: Trinity’s Student Andreas Kyriakos Receives Scholarship to Study at Yenching Academy

The coming year will be an exciting one for graduand Andreas Kyriakos as he joins the 2018 cohort of Yenching Scholars.

In September, he will be far from the familiar halls of Trinity attending Yenching Academy of Peking University. At this fully-funded, international scholarship program, Andreas will earn an English language Master’s degree in China Studies.

“We are thrilled to have another exceptional Trinity student receive the prestigious Yenching Scholarship,” says Prof. Mayo Moran, Provost and Vice-Chancellor of Trinity College. “I am confident that while in China Andreas will continue the academic excellence and outstanding leadership he demonstrated at the College.”

While at Trinity, Andreas pursued a specialist degree in International Relations, and served as Co-President of the International Relations Society and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Attaché Journal of International Affairs is his final year. He is also an alumnus of the Margaret MacMillan Trinity One Program’s Public Policy Stream. This year, Andreas won a 2018 Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award, recognizing his incredible contributions to the U of T community. 

In addition to his studies and extracurricular activities at Trinity, Andreas also interned at Prince’s Charities Canada, supporting the Canadian charitable vision of HRH The Prince of Wales and leading media relations for the charitable component of the 2017 Royal Tour of Canada. He has also worked at the Paris headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and at public relations and executive search firms in Toronto.

Andreas first became aware of the Yenching Academy through a Trinity connection. Last year, Trinity alumnus Anthony Marchese (1T7) received a Yenching scholarship. Anthony provided Andreas with valuable insights as he considered applying. Another friend, Trinity alumna Emily Tsui (1T6) also knew the program well, and was extremely supportive. 

For Andreas, attending the Yenching Academy is an exciting, if daunting opportunity. “It will be challenging,” Andreas says. “I’ve never travelled to Asia, but am excited to continue to develop my skills, gain intercultural understanding, and learn with a diverse group of people.” To make the transition easier, Andreas is leaving for China in August to attend Chinese Language Summer School at Peking University. 

Though it will be his first time in China, the country has long intrigued Andreas. “It’s always been a place of interest to me from a cultural and historical point of view,” he says. “Its geopolitical importance is now impossible to ignore.”

Throughout his studies in International Relations, Andreas’s understanding of China’s political influence and impact grew. But it was while working as a project assistant at UNESCO – during a year abroad at Sciences Po Paris – that he was exposed to a unique aspect of China’s international presence. There, Andreas saw first-hand the prominent role China plays in funding and shaping the agenda of projects in the Culture Sector. When he returned to Trinity, he began an independent study project, supervised by International Relations Program Director Professor John Kirton, which analyzed the Chinese role in that UNESCO program and in the UN agency more broadly.

As he prepares to continue his studies at the Yenching Academy, Andreas is quick to point to the important role Trinity has played in his education. “Being at Trinity was essential,” he says. “The opportunities students at the College receive, like the one Prof. Kirton gave me, and within the International Relations program are so unique. The global outlook and culture of excellence among my cohort were also hugely inspirational,” Andreas adds.

The school will also provide Andreas with the opportunity to study with professors who have been directly involved in shaping China’s role on the international stage. “One of the panel members I spoke with during my interview is a former senior Chinese diplomat with deep experience in international organizations, and I hope to have the opportunity to learn from him,” Andreas says.

The Yenching Academy’s faculty will also allow Andreas to explore another topic of interest: China in Africa. “China is making significant economic and political inroads into East Africa, this being another topic of common interest shared with the faculty panel.”

At the Yenching Academy, Andreas hopes to continue to build on what he learned at the University of Toronto and Sciences Po. “I’m particularly interested in soft power studies,” he says. “Among other things, I look forward to studying China’s expanding public diplomacy efforts, its approach to international organizations, and the projection of national identity. I think they’re all really exciting and intersecting areas.” 

Categories: Arts & Science; Awards & Honours; International Relations; Student News