Alumni

We are honored to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating McDonnell Scholars at the 2025 Recognition Ceremony on May 13—a remarkable group of WashU students representing a wide range of disciplines and global perspectives.

WashU’s McDonnell International Scholars Academy is pleased to share that the Mark S. Wrighton Award will now be $25,000, beginning in 2025—more than doubling from its previous amount of $10,000.

Thanks to the incredible support of our McDonnell Academy Alumni, we achieved our goal of providing 22 personalized welcome letters to the 2024 cohort of McDonnell Scholars.

The McDonnell Academy Scholar for Life Initiative aims to enhance and sustain alumni engagement with the McDonnell Academy, WashU, and the St. Louis region through targeted initiatives aligned with WashU’s Here and Next strategic plan. Welcome Letter Writing Alumni write personalized welcome letters to new Scholars, sharing their own experiences and offering guidance. This initiative […]

An honor that recognizes alumni who exemplify global leadership, academic excellence, and a sustained commitment to the mission of the Academy.

Staying engaged with the McDonnell International Scholars Academy can connect you to a network of alumni and Scholars in your community and around the world.

Celebrating Connections: Highlighting the St. Louis McDonnell Academy Alumni Reception We recently had the pleasure of hosting the St. Louis McDonnell Academy Alumni Reception, a great event that brought together a wonderful group St. Louis alumni, along with their families. The event facilitated the reconnection of old friends and the formation of new connections amid […]

Fostering stronger connections, McDonnell Academy introduces Alumni Regional Events—a new initiative for global community engagement. This initiative seeks to engage the St. Louis McDonnell Academy alumni and expand professional networks. We hope this local initiative will serve as a blueprint for similar initiatives among our regional alumni, both in the US and abroad. Join our […]

Introducing Dr. Fernando Lopez, recipient of the 2023 Mark S. Wrighton Award for McDonnell Academy Alumni—an honor that celebrates distinguished alumni who demonstrate outstanding leadership, global engagement, and continued dedication to the values of the McDonnell Academy. In this conversation with Laura Benoist, director of the McDonnell Academy, Dr. Lopez discusses his time as a […]

McDonnell Academy alumna Chuanmei Zhu, who earned her PhD in Plant and Microbial Bioscience from WashU in 2014, recently reconnected with Laura Benoist, director of the McDonnell Academy. Zhu currently serves as the VP of Data Science, Partnership, and Outreach at Premier Strategy Consulting, LLC. Her success is a testament to how McDonnell Academy graduates […]