Opening the door to her car after an exhausting ride, Tiffany Zhao (12) was welcomed by the cheerful voices of children singing in unison. As the refreshing breeze blows through her hair, she steps down onto a path ascending the lush green hill in front of her, lined on both sides with smiling kids wearing radiant red shirts and scarves. Filled with excitement, she rushes up to the boys and girls, giving each of them a high five and an exuberant smile. As her eyes begin to fill with tears, she follows her friends to a school at the top of the hill, where the children’s grandparents wait to give them a kind greeting.

Every summer, Tiffany travels to China with Ellen Guo (12) to teach English and introduce American culture to boys and girls in rural schools. They travel with their organization, International Outlook Foundation, which they established during freshman year of high school to foster cultural exchange between America and China. Her experience attending an international school in Shanghai for four years preceding high school helped her develop friendships that she did not expect in a place so different from her home in the United States. Looking back, Tiffany appreciates that she was able to branch out and make connections that allowed her to discover more about herself.

“It really helped cultivate a sense of cultural awareness and it was a really eye-opening experience too. Before, I saw my Chinese identity as something completely separate from my American identity, but that experience made me realize that I’m not that different from Chinese people at all,” Tiffany said.

During her winter break in seventh grade, Tiffany’s dad took her to his rural hometown in China, where he asked her to teach English to the kids at a local elementary school. Although she felt discouraged by the language barriers she faced, she persisted and decided to teach them about American culture instead. At the end of her time there, she hosted a Christmas party for the school and was surprised by the amount of praise she received from not only the students but also their principal, who wrote her a letter of appreciation for working with the children. Tiffany recalls the realization she had five years ago when she first saw the effect that sharing her culture had on the kids at the rural school.

“I, as a 12-year-old, had the ability to impact people’s lives and actually create a net benefit in society. If I could do that, then it was something pretty powerful that I should utilize,” Tiffany said.

After returning to the United States for high school, she felt inspired by her experience in China and saw opportunity in the various people of multicultural backgrounds that she attended school with every day. Ellen took an interest in Tiffany’s vision, so they decided to collaborate and start a nonprofit organization together. Ellen reflects on how she’s gotten to know Tiffany better after playing and working alongside her during the past few years.

“She’s definitely still the super cheerful and outgoing person that I originally thought she was, but I also discovered that she can be really down-to-earth and super hard-working. We have to plan a lot of events together for our organization, but we always get it done, and I think it definitely has to do with the fact that we’re able to work together so well,” Ellen said.

Tiffany’s dedication extends to her experience on the speech and debate team. She began participating in competitive congressional debate during her sophomore year of high school and continues it now in her senior year. Despite criticism from the judges, she has persevered and persisted in enhancing her skills over the last three years. Scott Odekirk, her coach since sophomore year, reveals what differentiates Tiffany from other students he has coached.

“There are many challenges that happen throughout the course of a debater’s competitive career. There are times when they totally fail and they get feedback from judges that is hard to take, and just like everyone else, she has had to deal with that. She’s one of the rare few who fully overcomes and brushes off the criticism to focus on self-improvement,” Odekirk said. 

The resilience that Tiffany has built through these experiences allows her to support her friends in times of need. No matter what she is going through, she is always willing to spread her cheerful and energetic spirit with those around her. Liam Bakar (12), who became friends with her in math class freshman year, reflects on how their friendship has affected him.

“I always go to Tiffany when I have problems or when I’m feeling down. She’s kind of like a crutch because you can lean on her and she’ll be ready to help you at all times,” Liam said.

With her kind demeanor and unwavering spirit, Tiffany always tries to live life to the fullest. Her curiosity drives her to ask everyone questions constantly and discover new topics that fascinate her. Avi Gulati (12), who participates in debate with Tiffany, reveals how she has grown over the past few years.

“Her interests are constantly evolving, and I think there’s something beautiful to be said about a person who invests in themselves and grows from new ideas daily. At the same time, while her passions change, at her core she’s a grounded person who enjoys learning, searching, playing and being. She whole-heartedly embraces what life has to offer, from knowledge and ideas to relationships and people,” Avi said.

Tiffany’s fascination with the vast diversity of ideas and people from all around the world allows her to empathize with people from various backgrounds and cultures. Chloe Chen (12), explains her admiration for the way Tiffany interacts with others.

“She’s really understanding of those around her and she’s able to ask different questions to guide them towards speaking about themselves. It’s really helped her to be able to engage with a lot of different people and be able to connect with people, not just within our friend group. She’s very universal in that sense,” Chloe said.

Her ability to communicate with others effectively and form close bonds with people from varying backgrounds led her to discover that she has a lot more in common with these people than she thought. She hopes that eventually she can allow others to see the world, with all its different ideas and cultures, in the same light that she sees it in now.

“What people don’t realize is that there are a lot more similarities between cultures than people may think, and getting to access those similarities and getting other people to see those similarities for themselves is my personal mission,” Tiffany said.