Olivia Zhang
McLean High School
When Olivia Zhang was in middle school, her grandfather and elementary school teacher both died of cancer. Those losses inspired her to found Cancer Kids First, which enlists volunteers to make care packages of books and toys for pediatric cancer patients. The organization now partners with 69 hospitals in the U.S. and abroad and boasts more than 28,000 volunteers in 70 chapters.
“Pursuing a cause I started in memory of two loved ones brings me a lot of joy,” says the McLean teen, who sold handmade bracelets and artwork to help pay for her grandfather’s chemo treatments in China. “Seeing everybody united and not letting grief outweigh their desire to help is so great to see in my generation.”
Zhang, 18, graduated with a 4.6 GPA and plans to major in global health at Harvard. Disturbed by the inequalities in health care, she says she’d like to start a telehealth company to bring virtual cancer care to areas lacking a major hospital or research center.
As student body president in both her junior and senior years, she launched the “Be a Good Neighbor” initiative, which each month chooses a community group to support. She also served as president of her school’s Financial Literacy and Business Club, which promotes financial literacy through workshops and “Shark Tank” competitions.
“She puts everybody ahead of herself,” says McLean Principal Ellen Reilly. “She has a lot in her life that she’s dealing with, but seems to be able to keep her focus and do it with grace.”
Of all the lessons Zhang learned in high school, one of the most important was how to delegate. When her sophomore math grade began to drop, her teacher suggested that perhaps her extracurricular endeavors were taking too much of her time. Zhang responded by creating leadership teams within Cancer Kids First and organizing her day into blocks of time for homework, friends and family.
In college, she intends to continue her work with the organization she created. “It’s become such an integral part of my life that I can’t imagine not doing it,” she says.