Thomas Hughes ’24 named Schwarzman Scholar
Computer Science major Thomas Hughes has been named a Schwarzman Scholar for 2024 and will receive a scholarship for a one-year master’s program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is among three Princeton seniors and one alumnus to receive the honor.
“This year’s selected Scholars are keenly interested in learning about China, which is now more important than ever in this complex geopolitical environment,” Founding Trustee Stephen Schwarzman said in the announcement. “They are ready to engage thoughtfully with global issues and eager to make a positive impact on the world.”
Hughes is from Dana Point, California. He is a member of Whitman College.
In his application, he wrote about his experience working alongside Princeton Arts Fellow Maysoon Zayid to organize a disability advocacy group, and how the experience helped him realize that people with disabilities are often the last to be considered in the launch of new technologies.
After his Schwarzman Scholarship, he intends to pursue the development of technologies that help close that gap. “Understanding the technology scene in China is essential to my success in this work,” he wrote, adding that he hoped to talk with tech innovators there for ideas about developing “universally accessible technologies.”
Hughes is the co-president of the Princeton chapter of Petey Greene tutoring program. He has served as director of the Princeton Silicon Valley TigerTrek, host of Princeton’s All-Nighter talk show, and has worked with the nonprofit Share My Meals as a member of the Pace Center’s Service Focus cohort for Public Interest Technology.
He has worked as a software engineering intern with Nitra and a career development intern with Baker Industries.
