Senior philosophy major Wendi Zhou is featured in the University of Washington Magazine article “The Rise of Gen Z.”
Wendi has been an active part of the philosophy community, serving as a writing center tutor and earning the praise of her professors. “Wendi's work is amazing, she is a rockstar! I am very happy to see her work highlighted here,” writes professor Amelia Wirts.
The notion that Gen Z cares about race, equity and social good is true for Wendi Zhou, 18. Last spring, she won an award from the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies for a paper she wrote about Jewish refugees in Shanghai during World War II. Her findings countered representations of refugees as passive and helpless. A scholar-in-the-works, she’s double majoring in history and philosophy.
“I’m interested in the histories of race, gender and sexuality in societies that are grappling with the legacies of racism, colonial violence and other historical injustices,” she says. “I find that relevant to the issues that I care about today.”
She has also been active in the ASUW and serves on the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity’s student advisory board, which she is chairing this year.
As a freshman, Zhou conducted policy research for the ASUW Office of Government Relations for what would become legislation for a state-funded and state-administered student loan program for undocumented students. In April 2020, the governor signed the bill into law.
Congratulations to Wendi, we can’t wait to see what you do next!
Read the whole article at University of Washington Magazine: “The Rise of Gen Z: The most diverse generation in American history, they are engaged, informed, and leading the way for change on campus.”