Alumni Spotlight: Princelawrenz Hamlin, ’24
Princelawrenz Hamlin graduated in 2024 with a Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences degree from the College of Science and Health, leaving behind a strong legacy of academic excellence, leadership, and service at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
“Attending CDU has been a monumentally impactful experience for me,” said Hamlin. “I’ve had many successes—as well as my fair share of challenges.”
He was drawn to the University for its strong commitment to social justice and solidarity—values that aligned with his personal mission to advance equity in healthcare and pursue innovations that address cardiovascular disease. “From the beginning, I felt genuine support from staff and faculty and was surprised by the sheer number of opportunities that were available. What makes CDU so unique and appealing compared to other universities is the fact that students can communicate directly with the professors and school staff without being perceived as a mere statistic.”
During his undergraduate journey, Hamlin served as student body president, a STEMM instructor for CDU’s Pipeline Program, and a facilitator with Concerned Black Men Los Angeles. These experiences fueled his passion for mentorship and advocacy. He also helped establish a strategic collaboration between CDU and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to increase volunteer and educational opportunities for Black and African American students.
“Taking advantage of these opportunities has helped greatly in shaping me into the mature, confident, well-rounded individual that I’m becoming with respect to my journey towards eradicating cardiovascular disease and advancing humankind to greater frontiers.”
Today, Hamlin remains focused on becoming a distinguished innovator and global citizen. He is currently a Schwarzman Scholar, pursuing a master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
“My primary goal would be to leverage the provided support and the program’s vast network as it pertains to the progression of my academic and business endeavors,” explained Hamlin. “What I’m most excited for through this program is the opportunity to gain global exposure and understand and potentially contribute to the solutions for a multitude of challenges impacting society.”