As Captain of her high school’s Science Olympiad and Science Bowl teams, Nina Zhan observed systemic barriers preventing underrepresented students from pursuing STEM. Determined to challenge these
Nina was selected as the only student representative to speak at a Chinese school education board meeting
She was also invited to lead the Pearson English teaching project at China’s Dolphin Publishing House and to serve as the spokesperson for the national Pearson English Competition. As the youngest member, she also took part in the “Read English for You” initiative, which has earned a million followers across platforms. In addition, she won multiple state-level speech contests, coached over hundreds of students for debate and speech, over 80 students for Spelling Bee competitions , and taught private lessons for children battling cancer. Later, Nina was invited as an official audiobook narrator to record more than a thousand bestselling American children’s books for China’s Tonglifang Bilingual Publishing House and became an officially certified commercial host on China’s largest audio platform, Ximalaya.
Nina’s passion for philanthropy was ignited at the age of nine when she decided to donate instead of using the money to celebrate her birthday. Since 2020, she has dedicated her birthdays for six consecutive years to funding the care of “Pika Pika,” an orphaned elephant in Africa, and continues to donate to this day.
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 all 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.
She has hosted racial equity/cultural webinars engaging 500+ global attendees and feature speakers from Haiti, Belgium, Peru, Germany, Pakistan, China, and the U.S. Her multilingual immersion programs in English, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Chinese have helped thousands overcome language barriers.
Through GLAD Academy, she led a fundraiser that provided 1,285 bilingual children’s books and audiobooks (which she recorded) to public libraries in Naperville and Edmonton, impacting 150,000 people. She also established the GLAD Nonprofit Funding program, which supports more than 15 high school nonprofit clubs worldwide.
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 hosted Words4Wisdom Society 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.
A Dedicated Educator
Nina has been teaching for five years. 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.
