The Pulteney Street SurveySpring '25

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Global Perspective

Wong

STEPHEN WONG ’89

Currently a managing partner at a leading early-stage venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, Valley Capital Partners, Wong also serves on the Board of Directors of Techtronic Industries as an independent non-executive director, as well as on the Board of the Stanford Law School Venture Fund. He previously served as a managing director and chairman of Investment Banking for Hong Kong and co-head of the real estate group in Asia for Goldman Sachs. In 2020, he received the firm’s prestigious John L. Weinberg Award.

A life-long collector and one of the world’s foremost authorities on baseball history and its collectibles, Wong is the author of Smithsonian Baseball: Inside the World’s Finest Private Collections (2005, Smithsonian Books) and Game Worn: Baseball Treasures from the Game’s Greatest Heroes and Moments (2016, Smithsonian Books), both of which were runners-up for the Casey Award. He was a senior honorary advisor and major lender to “Baseball: America’s Home Run,” the Smithsonian Institution’s blockbuster exhibition that commemorated the history, stamps, artwork and memorabilia of the National Pastime.

Wong is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Jackie Robinson Foundation in New York. He graduated cum laude with a B.A. in economics from HWS and went on to earn a J.D. from Stanford Law School.

With a $1 million commitment, HWS Trustee Stephen Wong ’89 establishes endowed scholarship to support international student representation and encourage cross-cultural exchange.

by Andrew Wickenden

“When I was teenager, my parents moved from the San Francisco Bay Area, where my father practiced as a neurosurgeon, back to Hong Kong. Part of the reason for the relocation was that my parents wanted me to learn, absorb and appreciate the languages, culture and nuances of the Far East,” recalls Trustee Stephen Wong ’89. “They firmly believed that experiencing life and adopting perspectives from both the West and Far East would be edifying for my future, from a personal and professional standpoint. Now in my late 50s, I look back at that decision as the single most important foundation and catalyst of my entire life.”

Through Wong’s $1 million commitment, the Stephen T.C. Wong ’89 Endowed International Scholarship will provide support to students with demonstrated academic qualifications and financial needs, particularly students from East Asia.

“I am grateful for the leadership and support of Stephen Wong ’89, who recognizes the importance of cultivating a campus where global engagement is woven into the fabric of our community,” says President Mark D. Gearan. “We must ensure students have the experiences and perspectives to communicate and connect across cultures and borders. This generous gift will provide vital resources to help HWS attract the most talented students from around the world and deliver a rich, multifaceted education.”

A longtime senior investment banking executive, Wong spent more than 19 years with Goldman Sachs and six years at Morgan Stanley, working in international settings — in the U.S., throughout the Asia Pacific region and across other parts of the world.

“International experience and knowledge have become the norm as opposed to the exception — a ‘must have,’ not a ‘nice to have,’” Wong explains. “You would be surprised at what you learn ‘on the road’ outside of America’s borders and outside your comfort zone. And what you learn from your fellow classmates who are from abroad.”

A diverse student body, Wong says, means that the “backgrounds, experiences, viewpoints and perspectives shared in the classrooms, on the athletic fields, in the gym and cafeteria” better reflect the world into which students will graduate.

“I strongly believe that international students will significantly add fresh perspectives to the curriculum and oncampus dialogues and debates because they will see topics through a completely different lens,” he explains. “It is my sincere hope that this international student scholarship will serve as an important catalyst to help enrich further our overall curriculum and HWS community. I also hope it will help the Colleges’ efforts to tell its compelling story internationally in order to attract the most talented students from abroad.”

“In order for our beloved Hobart and William Smith to continue on the path of excellence and truly prepare its student body for the journey ahead and for an increasingly complex world, international student representation is vital to the HWS community,” Wong says.