Colorado Football’s Camden Dempsey Named Schwarzman Scholar

BOULDER — University of Colorado Buffaloes football player Camden Dempsey has been selected as a Schwarzman Scholar, one of the most prestigious graduate fellowships in the world.

The Schwarzman Scholars program is a highly competitive, fully funded one-year master's degree and leadership program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China — one of Asia's top universities. Designed to prepare future global leaders, the program focuses on leadership, global affairs, and understanding China's role in the world. Scholars are selected for their leadership ability, academic achievement, and potential to foster cross-cultural understanding; the acceptance rate is on par with other elite scholarships like the Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships.

As a Schwarzman Scholar, Dempsey will spend a year living and studying in Beijing, taking classes, engaging with global leaders, and gaining firsthand experience with Chinese culture and global affairs and will place him among an international network of emerging leaders from around the world.

Dempsey's journey to this honor reflects a rare blend of athletic tenacity, academic excellence, and servant leadership. He began his career at CU as an offensive lineman and moved to long snapper under Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders, who nicknamed him "The Governor" and quickly saw his potential beyond the football field.

He earned a degree in Business Finance and Marketing, earned a minor in Leadership Studies and a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Studies. He was also a Presidents Leadership Class scholar and a Boettcher Scholar. He served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Pac-12 Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT).

Dempsey's leadership story stretches back prior to his time at CU: in high school he was valedictorian, an Eagle Scout, and led a major international service project that brought together volunteers from the United States and China to plant trees in Inner Mongolia.

Dempsey joins a distinguished group of former players who have earned a similar scholarship, with five former football players having earned Rhodes Scholarships including George Carlson (1931), Clayton White (1933), Byron White (1938), Joe Romig (1962) and Jim Hansen (1992).

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Colorado Football’s Camden Dempsey Named Schwarzman Scholar

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