A success in any language: Alum becomes Binghamton’s second Schwarzman Scholar

Daiki Yoshioka ’19 speaks four languages: his native Japanese, English, French and Mandarin, although he’s not quite fluent in the last — yet. He will be after next summer.

Yoshioka, who lives in Tokyo, is the second Binghamton University alumnus to win the prestigious Schwarzman scholarship; the first was Micah Jumpp in 2021. He will head to Beijing’s Tsinghua University for a one-year master’s program in global affairs, attending lectures, traveling around the region, and developing a better understanding of China.

The Schwarzman Scholars Program is extremely competitive; only 3% of applicants are accepted from a pool of more than 3,000 from all over the world.

“My dream is to become an impact investor. Maybe I can work as an impact investor in China or invest in social startups in China,” Yoshioka said. “That’s why I applied; it really made sense as my next career move, and I can see that it will open up a lot of doors.”

China, as it happens, was the place he mastered English. His father got a job in Shanghai, which is where Yoshioka attended an English-language international school, even though he knew no English at the start.

Yoshioka transferred to Binghamton after completing his associate’s degree at Rockland Community College, which is also part of the State University of New York system.

A dual major in comparative literature and philosophy at Binghamton, Yoshioka conducted independent research through the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, which exposed him to both high-level academic discourse and opportunities to engage in professional development. He also interned at the Writing Center and the offices of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Media and Public Relations, and Undergraduate Admissions and received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence.

“The professors challenged me academically, but they were also kind and gave me helpful advice tailored to my background and context,” he said. “I especially liked senior seminars and the small class sizes.”

After graduation, he spent several years working for multinational corporations, including a stint at Deloitte as an environmental, social and governance (ESG) consultant. Now a sustainability consultant for the impact investing firm GLIN Impact Capital, he’s also an openly gay man and an LGBTQ+ activist in his socially conservative homeland, where he won the Mr. Gay Japan pageant in 2023.

Once he returned to his home country, he thought about the young people who didn’t have the opportunity he did to study abroad. How could he make it safer for LGBTQ+ people to be themselves without leaving home?

“In Japan, society is much more conservative and traditional, and LGBTQ+ folks don’t have certain rights that they do in the United States, such as same-sex marriage,” he reflected. “Living in Japan as a gay person is difficult compared to the United States; you really don’t see rainbow flags anywhere.”

He learned about the Schwarzman scholarship at an academic conference during his Binghamton years and was immediately interested. External Scholarships and the Undergraduate Research Center helped him with mock interviews, although he ended up postponing his application until he accrued professional experience. The opportunity brings together the strands of his diverse interests: languages, leadership, sustainability and activism.

Even though he’s on the other side of the globe, Yoshioka still feels that he’s part of the Bearcat family, he said. At Binghamton, he wasn’t sure what shape his journey would take after Commencement. He advises students in a similar situation to both focus on academics and get involved on campus, which can help them identify opportunities as they arise.

“Have an open mind. Anything can happen after graduation, but in college, students can equip themselves with the tools and experiences that allow them to be flexible with the unknown,” he said.