Stephanie Zhang
Emory University
Stephanie Zhang, a second-year student at Emory University, fully represents our mission to create, preserve, teach, and apply knowledge in the service of humanity. Never shying away from difficult topics, Ms. Zhang has hosted intragroup conversations on anti-blackness in Asian American communities and dialogues on the tensions between Asian American students and international Asian students. She also served as a leader for the Center for Women’s Praxis Student Leadership board, a group tasked with introducing feminist theory to non-classroom spaces. Her leadership abilities continued to shine when she helped organize and facilitate GirlCon, an annual event that brings fifty girls from a local middle school to Emory’s campus for empowerment workshops. She is variously engaged in Atlanta with focuses on capacity building and civic engagement in Asian American communities. Ms. Zhang is a passionate community organizer who continues to work as a program assistant in The Center for Women at Emory.
Claire E. Sterk, President, Emory University
Personal Statement
As an avid organizer, my ideology for social justice movements is rooted in my dedication to empathy and compassion for my community. Through this lens, my strategies towards combating social issues involves providing tools for my community to advocate for their own autonomy, building coalitions between marginalized groups, and providing space for unlearning and healing. Exciting events such as discussing Anti-Blackness in Asian American communities, encouraging Asian Americans to learn more about the census and their political power in local government, and connecting with Atlanta at-large allow me to place my theoretical knowledge of organizing into exciting praxis!
