University of Notre Dame senior James Reintjes has been named a 2025 Yenching Scholar. He is one of 114 Yenching Scholars overall, representing 40 countries and regions around the globe. He is Notre Dame’s 12th Yenching Scholar and its 9th since 2018.

Chosen as part of a highly selective application process, Yenching Scholars participate in an interdisciplinary master’s degree program in China studies at the Yenching Academy of Peking University in Beijing, with tuition and other expenses fully covered.

Reintjes worked closely with the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) in applying for the award.

“We are grateful to be a partner university of the Yenching Academy and to send alumni to study there regularly,” said Emily Hunt, assistant director of scholarly development at CUSE. “Notre Dame alumni who complete the program have gone on to pursue a wide variety of paths, including medical school, law school, and careers in higher education and nonprofit work.

“It was a great pleasure working with James throughout the application process. James has been an active member of the Notre Dame community, receiving support and training from the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and the Hesburgh Libraries. We are sure James will take advantage of the wonderful opportunities available through the Yenching Academy and are excited to see what the future holds.”

Reintjes is an honors track international economics and Chinese major from the Kansas City area. He is a circulation services assistant at the Hesburgh Library and a member and treasurer of the Notre Dame Glee Club.

During his undergraduate career, he has been a research assistant to Kyle Jaros, associate professor of Global Affairs, at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies; Victoria Tin-bor Hui, associate professor of political science; and Santosh Kumar Gautam, associate professor of development and global health economics and director of the Sustainable Development Major within the Master of Global Affairs program, at the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.

Reintjes was a consultant for the McDonald Center for Student Wellbeing, and he spent last summer as a Mandarin tutor in Hong Kong.

His honors economics thesis, advised by Lakshmi Iyer, professor of economics; and Victoria Barone, assistant professor of economics, explored the very timely question of whether fentanyl-related deaths affect anti-Chinese sentiment in the U.S.

As a Yenching Scholar, he will continue his research into the relationship between fentanyl-related deaths and anti-Chinese sentiment while further examining the role of anti-Chinese sentiment in U.S.-China trade relations. He will also take advantage of China’s large and diverse population and land mass to study how and why groups form.

Looking further ahead, he hopes to contribute to the ever-growing financial sectors within China through career opportunities within the various stock exchanges in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, with the long term goal of becoming a global leader in research and economic development.

"To all my friends, family, loved ones and mentors who supported me on this journey, thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Reintjes said.

For more on this and other scholarship opportunities, visit cuse.nd.edu.