Willow Taylor Chiang Yang ’25
Willow Taylor Chiang Yang ’25 of Burlingame, California, has received the Barry Scholarship to pursue a master’s in political research at the University of Oxford. She will begin her graduate studies this fall.
Willow earned a bachelor’s with distinction in American political economy and a bachelor’s in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the third Barry Scholarship recipient from Carolina.
For Willow, the decision to pursue graduate study at Oxford grew out of her academic interests and her study abroad program at the London School of Economics.
“It’s at the intersection of a lot of things I’m excited about personally and professionally right now,” said Willow, who created her own interdisciplinary studies major as an undergraduate. “The program I’m pursuing will allow me to experience both taught courses and the process of writing a master’s thesis on an expedited timeline, while also setting me up well for a job if I end up not wanting to pursue a Ph.D.”
At Oxford, Willow plans to focus on questions related to work, labor, and decision-making, interests she developed through coursework and research at Carolina.
“I’ve found that I’m drawn to questions about work and labor: what individual-level factors influence our work choices?” Willow said. “What does it mean to do ‘meaningful’ work, and what would that look like on a broader scale? What can macroeconomic trends in labor supply tell us about the cultural and social moment?”
At Carolina, Willow pursued research and civic engagement at the intersection of politics and economics. She conducted research on political polarization with faculty, participated in voter mobilization efforts, and contributed to the Krasno Events Series, helping organize international policy discussions with scholars and practitioners. She also wrote a senior honors thesis examining the relationship between socioeconomic status and career decision-making.
“Over the course of my time at Carolina, I realized I was more and more interested in academic research and the intersection between politics and economics,” Willow said. “I tried to use my time at UNC to properly try my hand at research and see if that world really was for me.”
She also emphasized the role of faculty and mentors in guiding her academic path.
“I am so thankful for the people at Carolina who allowed me to cultivate and pursue the college experience I had: faculty, peers, advisors, and everything in between,” Willow said.
Through Morehead-Cain, Willow participated in summer enrichment internships, independent projects, and travel supported by the Lovelace Fund for Discovery.
“I genuinely do believe that the number and range of things I was able to have with the Morehead-Cain . . . has imbued in me such a can-do attitude and a deep comfort with professional and personal experimentation, and adapting to the unfamiliar,” Willow said.
She described the Lovelace Fund grant as an opportunity to pursue self-directed projects.
“You just have this ultimate financial freedom at your disposal with which to do something cool, powerful, fascinating. That opportunity was a little paralyzing at first, but I’m so glad I was able to use that funding over the years to build some one-of-a-kind experiences that would’ve been near-impossible otherwise.”
Her time in the Morehead-Cain Program included visits to civil discourse initiatives at universities across the United States, as well as policy and research work in multiple cities.
Willow also reflected on her Outdoor Leadership as informing her sense of resilience.
“Just knowing that I survived being almost totally off grid for three weeks . . . is such a source of comfort and pride and assurance that no matter what, even if I have to retreat into the Minnesota Boundary Waters for a month, I’ll be okay,” Willow said.
Following graduation, Willow spent part of her gap year abroad, including time on a farm in Germany and a vineyard in Portugal.
“Both experiences just drove home that there are amazing, fascinating, and meaningful people everywhere, and that month will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
At Oxford, she plans to continue developing her quantitative research skills through coursework and independent study.
Marc Howlett, executive director of the Office of Distinguished Scholarships in Honors Carolina, said Willow’s time on campus prepared her well to succeed at Oxford.
“At Carolina, Willow developed a track record of pragmatic, open-minded, and collaborative leadership to address pressing issues,” he said. “We are excited to see her wide-ranging impact at Oxford and beyond.”
