Andrew Sohn
Andrew Sohn ’04CC studied English at Columbia College, where his four years left an indelible mark on his worldview and set the course for everything that followed. A four-year member of the men’s varsity fencing team, Andrew served as team captain for two seasons and earned All-American and All-Ivy League honors. In 2004, he was awarded the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and served as chair of the Class of 2004 Senior Fund.
Perhaps the most formative chapter of Andrew’s Columbia experience came in 2001, when he studied abroad at Tsinghua University in Beijing through Columbia’s Chinese language program. Living and learning in a rapidly developing country instilled a conviction he has carried ever since: that a global perspective is not a luxury, but a necessity—a belief that, together with Columbia’s emphasis on rigorous, multidisciplinary education, would shape every professional decision that followed.
After graduation, Andrew joined J.P. Morgan’s Investment Banking division and later worked as an associate at Irving Place Capital, a middle-market private equity firm. In parallel, he co-founded 116 to Wall Street, a nonprofit that helped college students break into financial services through mentorship and volunteer teaching. In 2009, he and fellow Columbia alum Michael Novielli ’03CC moved to Beijing, China, to co-found Due West Education, an international education company that today employs over 60 professionals across four cities and two continents, delivering innovative educational programs to inspire, mentor, and empower the next generation of global leaders. Andrew serves as Global CEO.
A devoted member of the Columbia community, Andrew has served on both the Columbia College Young Alumni Association Board and, most recently, two terms on the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) Board, directing his efforts to help the CAA expand its presence with alums and current students in China, where he is based. He has remained actively engaged with the University as a mentor, event organizer, and ambassador—grateful, as ever, for what Columbia made possible.