Three Duke Kunshan University seniors have earned places at Peking University’s Yenching Academy, one of China’s most competitive graduate fellowships, where acceptance rates dip below 3 percent.
The winners — Abdul Haey-ee (Ace) Asim of the U.S., Effy Bat-Erdene of Mongolia and Javier Sebastián Portilla of Ecuador — will receive full funding to pursue master’s degrees in China studies this fall.
John Quelch, executive vice chancellor at Duke Kunshan, said the students’ success speaks to the university’s broader mission.
“The Yenching Academy selects students who are poised to make a difference in China for the world. It is exciting to see three of our seniors recognized in this group,” said Quelch. “Their success reflects the power of a Duke Kunshan education—not only to share knowledge, but to inspire leadership, cultivate global vision, and empower students to build bridges across cultures.”
Portilla, believed to be the first Ecuadorian admitted to Yenching, majors in public policy with a track in institutions and governance. His scholarship proposal centers on China–Latin America infrastructure finance, and he will study in the politics and international relations track.
“When President Xi visited Ecuador, nobody knew how to interact with him,” Portilla said. “I realized my country needed people who understand China.”
Calling himself a future diplomat, he added: “I want to be a bridge between China and South America.”
After spending two years studying online because of the pandemic, Asim, a Pakistani American majoring in ethics and leadership–public policy, used his junior and senior years on campus to research AI ethics and Chinese tech policy, work he plans to expand in Yenching’s law and society track.
“A leader doesn’t choose circumstances; a leader makes circumstances,” said Asim.
“Even if I fail, my effort is never wasted. This scholarship is a launchpad to real change.”
Bat-Erdene, founder of DKU’s Pre-Law Society and Mongolian Students Association, majors in public institutions and governance. She will also enter the law and society track, comparing gender laws in China, Japan, South Korea and Mongolia.
“I love arguing with people,” she said. “Law is the perfect track for me to fight for justice.”
Bat-Erdene said DKU’s close-knit research culture turned dense academic writing from a chore into a passion.
“I fell in love with research here — sometimes under crazy deadlines, but it was transformative,” she said.
Chancellor Yaolin Liu applauded the students’ success.
“They turned a pandemic-disrupted college experience into a springboard for global impact,” Liu said. “Their curiosity, grit and compassion mirror the very best of Duke Kunshan—and show how far determined young scholars can go when faculty mentors open every door.”
All three cited DKU’s faculty support and global curriculum as decisive.
Portilla credited professors such as David Landry and Bowman Slaymaker, who encouraged bold research ideas. “Sometimes I didn’t believe in myself, but they reassured me it was possible,” he said.
Bat-Erdene noted that one-on-one mentoring from Professors Anna Kathryn Kendrick and Anru Lee helped her develop strong academic projects and pursue public policy research across East Asia.
Asim said research seminars on technology and ethics “taught me to mix the humanities with the future.”
This marks the third year that DKU students have been selected for the prestigious Yenching Academy fellowship and the first time that three students were chosen in a single cycle. In 2024, Nino Nadirashvili of Georgia, a political economy major, and Haeji Cho of South Korea, who studied institutions and governance, received the scholarship. In 2022, two inaugural undergraduates, Alberto Najarro of El Salvador and Honey Huang of Pakistan, were awarded the scholarship.
The scholarship covers tuition, housing, health insurance, research funding and a monthly stipend, while scholars live and study in Beijing’s historic Jingyuan courtyards, taking classes both at Yenching College and across Peking University.
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