'Luckily, I’ve graduated': Huawei founder’s daughter on Harvard’s foreign student ban

The socialite graduated from Harvard in 2020.

Zhi Ning Wong

May 29, 2025, 06:54 PM

Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei’s daughter, Annabel Yao, appeared to be asked by followers if she had seen the news about the Trump administration’s ban on Harvard enrolling foreign students.

A Douyin video posted on May 26, which was eventually reported on by Chinese media, showed her walking through an airport as multiple fans asked her questions from behind the camera.

She replied to their question, “Oh yes, I saw it. Luckily, I’ve graduated.”

Yao, the youngest daughter of the tech giant’s founder, graduated from Harvard in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.

She was also asked if it was true that she scored full marks on the ACTs, which stands for American College Testing and is a standardised test used for college admissions in the United States (U.S.) and Canada.

To which she responded, “That’s such old news.”

The South China Morning Post reported that Yao has been exploring the entertainment industry following her graduation from Harvard, though her music and acting performances have garnered "mixed views" online.

Her performance in a 2024 crime drama received criticism from online commenters for its stiffness, according to the Chinese tabloid Global Times.

Harvard’s international student ban

Fans in the video were referring to the controversial ban a week ago, on May 22, where the Trump administration revoked the Ivy League university’s ability to enrol foreign students.

They also required current foreign students to transfer to other schools or risk losing their legal status in the United States.

A federal judge has since blocked the Trump administration's plan with a temporary restraining order, according to the BBC.

The ban would have affected many international students in Harvard, who in the 2024/2025 academic year make up 27.2 per cent of the student body.