Nina Zhan is a humanitarian, bestselling audiobook narrator, and global advocate whose work bridges art, science, and social impact.
A United Nations–featured speaker and recipient of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations, Nina has been honored for advancing equity and intercultural understanding across continents. She has addressed audiences representing 120+ countries at the U.N. High-Level Political Forum, U.N. Women’s Conferences, and Harvard’s Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR), where she symbolizes a new era of global leadership.
As a bestselling bilingual audiobook narrator with over 1 million followers and 70 million global streams, Nina has made cultural history: She became the youngest U.S.-based narrator—and the first youth ever—invited to represent the U.S. and speak on The Poem for You, China’s most prestigious literary broadcasting platform, which has hosted presidents, monarchs, Nobel Laureates, and heads of state, including the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Her narrations of Margaret Wise Brown’s works (author of Goodnight Moon) propelled them to the Top 8 most-sold children’s books in China, establishing Nina as a bestselling voice artist with over 1,000 official recordings and a legacy that bridges East and West through storytelling.
As the Founder and President of several globally recognized organizations acknowledged by the United Nations, such as through the ECOSOC Forum and COP28 Climate Conference, Nina has raised and directed over $80,000 within 2.5 years to advance healthcare, racial equity, and education. Her initiatives include constructing Haiti’s first-ever STEM Camp with residential facilities, funding vaccinations for 150,000 children, and empowering over 10 million people worldwide through humanitarian aid and education.
Beyond her global advocacy, Nina is a published researcher whose scientific work has been accepted for presentation at the American Chemical Society National Conference. She is also a U.S. Figure Skating gold medalist (awarded with Distinction, the highest commendation), a two-time Illinois state champion vocalist, and ranked among the Top 3 globally for flute.
Her mission is to bridge art and science through humanitarianism to not simply provide resources, but to remind every person she reaches that they are worthy of being welcomed through the doors of opportunity.
Princeton Prize in Race Relations National Winner
Selected worldwide for the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations conference (HPAIR) – (top second one)
Selected by the Illinois Girls State to represent her high school, elected Mayor (middle one)
Speaker at multiple United Nations conferences and forums
Nina Zhan is four teams of captain at her school:
Captain, Science Olympiad Team
Captain, Science Bowl Team
Captain, Academic Challenge Team
Founder & President, Science National Honor Society
Nina Zhan has consistently led with vision and determination. Through these leadership roles, she observed systemic barriers that prevent underrepresented students from fully accessing opportunities in STEM. Determined to challenge these inequities, Nina launched initiatives that create pathways for diverse youth to thrive in science, while fostering a culture of inclusion, mentorship, and academic excellence.
Nina hosted Webinars with Co-founder Summer Sun, a student at Harvard University
Through Words4Wisdom Society, Nina founded an international E-magazine, “Imagine2Empower,” for both STEM and culture and delivers reading materials to underserved children—the first two issues reaching over 600 readers.
Additionally, she is a mentor for the Reading & Writing Corner Club.
Nina initiated the annual Fundraiser Debate Tournament to raise funds for Haitian children, and organized a COP28 fundraiser that incorporated cultural perspectives on climate change. She also organized a webinar with a USA Youth Senator on sustainability, engaging over 300 attendees, and her Zero Dropout From School initiative raised funds to support 150 underprivileged students in Yunnan, China.
For six consecutive years since 2020, Nina has dedicated her birthdays to funding the care of ‘Pika Pika,’ an orphaned elephant in Africa, and continues to donate to this day. Her passion for philanthropy was ignited at the age of nine when she chose to donate rather than use the money to celebrate her birthday.
Since seventh grade, she has donated 12 inches of hair annually—on three separate occasions—to support children with alopecia and cancer, later expanding her impact through GLAD Academy by funding wigs designed for diverse Black hair types.
Nina has also donated her funds from being an official paid audiobook narrator in China to support medication during the COVID-19 pandemic and provided aid to children suffering from leukemia.
Nina served as first chair and Principal in YSDP, placed third in an International Music Competition, and became the youngest freshman at her high school to qualify for ILMEA.
She achieved first place in the entire state of Illinois in both the Broadway and Opera divisions. She uses her voice and performances to raise funds for multiple charitable projects.
Nina passed her Senior-level figure skating test for both moves and freestyle with Distinction.
Nina has been teaching for five years, since she was 12. She was selected as the 1st president of her Chinese school’s Tutoring Club. Her writing and art have also been published in various books and magazines.
Furthermore, she earned national recognition in the Chemistry Olympiad and ranked among the top three in state-level Chemistry tournaments. She has written a computational organic chemistry research paper on a novel breast cancer drug, which led her to begin teaching an Honors Chemistry class.
Nina’s has earned her four consecutive Presidential Volunteer Service Gold Awards, stems from her core belief: equity is not just about opening doors but ensuring that people feel empowered to walk through them. Through her four international nonprofits, scientific research, and advocacy, she continues to push boundaries and uplift a world worth protecting.
