Originally from Massachusetts, Will Hemond is a recent graduate of the program as well as the former U.S. foreign policy intern at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. At the Council, he worked on China-Russia policy for Ambassador Robert Blackwill, former deputy national security advisor for strategic planning. Will’s work in foreign policy allows him to use his advanced Mandarin Chinese proficiency to serve at a greater scale.
As an Ingram Scholar, Will focused on civic empowerment, environmental issues, and international health, volunteering with organizations including BELL Garden, Project CURE, and the Nashville International Center for Empowerment. For his Ingram summer service project, he worked with NextFlex to empower community colleges in California, and the following summer he studied abroad in Beijing as part of the first group of American students to return to China since COVID. Will also served as president of the Vanderbilt League of Legends organization during his junior and senior years, leading the Vanderbilt esports team to its highest-ever finish and helping to establish Vanderbilt’s first-ever center for online games on campus.
Will is incredibly grateful for all that the Ingram Scholars Program community has given him both during and after his time as a student, and is thrilled to join the alumni board as a graduate of Ingram’s class of ‘24 to mentor and assist newer scholars.