March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 39 F

MIDN Frey Pankratz selected as Schwarzman Scholar

Midshipman 1st Class (senior) Frey Pankratz, 24, of Wichita, Kan., was recently selected as a 2021 Schwarzman Scholar. This year, over 4,700 candidates competed for one of the 145 scholarships awarded.

Pankratz is a quantitative economics major in the Naval Academy’s Class of 2020. Before attending the Academy, Pankratz served as an F-35B mechanic in the United States Marine Corps. After two years stationed with the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 in Yuma, Ariz., Pankratz was accepted to the Naval Academy. During his tenure at the Academy, he has served numerous leadership positions within the Brigade, including squad leader and training sergeant for the 11th Company, as well as on the Naval Academy Leadership Conference staff. In spring of 2020, Pankratz will serve as the Third Battalion Commander during which time he will be responsible for the safety, well-being and efficiency of the 750 members of the third battalion.

As a midshipman, Pankratz has had the opportunity to intern as an Intelligence Analyst at the Office of Naval Intelligence’s Kennedy Irregular Warfare Center in Suitland, Md. Last summer, Pankratz traveled to India for a cultural immersion trip during which time he visited religious and cultural sites, remote villages in the Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir, and rafted along the Zanksar River. Pankratz documented the trip through articles and blog posts for the U.S. Naval Institute.

Through the Schwarzman Scholars program, Pankratz will pursue a master’s in global affairs with a concentration in public policy at Tsinghua  University in Beijing, China. Schwarzman Scholars also take courses focused on international leadership and Chinese language and culture.

Following completion of the Schwarzman Scholars program, Pankratz will report to Quantico, Va., to attend The Basic School as a 2nd Lt. in the United States Marine Corps.

Schwarzman Scholarships provide a year of study at the Schwarzman College of Tsinghua University in Beijing, one of China’s most prestigious universities. Schwarzman Scholars are chosen based on academic aptitude and intellectual ability, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, ability to anticipate paradigm changes, exemplary character, and desire to understand other cultures, perspectives and positions. In 2016, the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars was enrolled in the program designed to give the world’s best and brightest students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and professional networks. Blackstone Co-Founder, Stephen A. Schwarzman, personally contributed over $100 million to the program, and is leading a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $500 million from private sources to endow the program in perpetuity. The endowment will support up to 200 scholars annually from the U.S., China, and around the world for a one-year master’s degree program at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

For more information on the Schwarzman Scholars, visit http://schwarzmanscholars.org/. For more information about the Naval Academy, please visit www.usna.edu or their Facebook page.

Previous Article

Navy Football’s Coach Niumatalolo named winner of Stallings Award

Next Article

December 16, 2019 | Daily News Brief | (NAVY WINS, VIOLENCE ON MAIN STREET, SANTA SPEEDO RUN)

You might be interested in …