Alexa Zhang
Say hello ↗
04 / COMMUNITY & LEADERSHIP
I make roomfor others.
I know what it feels like to be new. Through mentoring, shared traditions, and small acts of care, I help people feel they belong.
Meet my communities
a place at the table, a reason to stay.
come on in :)
MENTORING
CULTURAL CONNECTION
PUBLIC ART
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
01 / SUNSHIP EARTH · ECOLOGY MENTOR
A little courage.A whole world outside.
Helping younger students explore nature—and feel more at ease in a new environment.
Camp Harrison / a group photograph from camp.
MY ROLE / ECOLOGY MENTOR
Notice. Explore.Learn together.
I guided fourth-grade students through a three-day residential ecology camp, designing and teaching lessons about people and nature.
Outside the classroom, we observed the natural world together. I wanted to offer the steady presence I once hoped to find in unfamiliar places.
3 days
RESIDENTIAL CAMP
Grade 4
YOUNGER STUDENTS
01 / PREPARE
Build the lesson.
Design people-and-nature activities for younger learners.
02 / GUIDE
Step outside.
Teach through observation in the natural environment.
03 / SUPPORT
Be a steady presence.
Bring patience and reassurance to an unfamiliar setting.
PEER MENTORING / YEAR-LONG CONNECTION
Trust is builtone small moment at a time.
Every two weeks.Throughout the year.
I meet with my buddy regularly. Familiar, hands-on activities create space for conversation, teamwork, and a growing sense of comfort.
01 / HOLIDAY CARDS
A handwritten hello.
Making cards by hand turns a simple holiday greeting into time spent together.
02 / COOKIE DECORATING
Cookies & conversation.
Decorating cookies gives us an easy way to talk, share ideas, and enjoy making something.
03 / EGG-DROP CHALLENGE
Try, test, try again.
Building an egg-protection device together makes problem-solving a shared, playful experience.
Small rituals. Familiar faces. A little more belonging.
02 / CHINESE NEW YEAR · ORGANIZER & HOST
A home away from home.
For students who cannot travel home, a shared table can become a place to belong.
Chinese New Year / gathering with friends and fellow students.
MY ROLE / PLAN · COOK · HOST
Bring people in.Make the room feel warm.
I bring international students together for Chinese New Year. With my host family’s help, I shop for ingredients and prepare familiar food, then coordinate the program and host the gathering.
I remember being the newcomer who missed home. Red decorations, food, and conversation help me welcome others into the kind of space I once needed.
a familiar tradition, shared in a new place.
Inside the gathering
01 / GATHER
Invite & organize.
Bring international students together and coordinate a place to gather.
02 / PREPARE
Cook a little comfort.
Shop and prepare food with support from my host family.
03 / HOST
Keep people connected.
Plan the program, welcome guests, and make room for conversation.
New Year at home / friends and a shared celebration.
Everyday cooking / making familiar food, beyond the New Year gathering.
Food is one of the ways I make a place feel like home.
03 / FACE PAINTING · COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
A small canvas.A shared moment.
At Spartanfest and Día de Muertos, painting becomes a way to connect with people beyond the classroom.
MY ROLE / FACE-PAINTING VOLUNTEER
Art can starta conversation.
I create face-painting designs for community events, including calavera looks for Día de Muertos, and return to Spartanfest across multiple years.
A brief encounter becomes personal through color, attention, and the small act of making something for someone else.
SPARTANFEST
DÍA DE MUERTOS
04 / SCHOOL LEADERSHIP · PEERS, ART & CELEBRATION
Care is in the everyday work.
Explaining a difficult idea, bringing an art project together, or helping plan a night for the whole school.
VOLUNTEER PEER TUTOR
Make learning visible.
Biology · English · SAT Math
I offer unpaid tutoring and use visual explanations to make difficult material easier to understand.
MY CONTRIBUTION
Break ideas into clear diagrams and manageable steps.
PRESIDENT / SPARTEN ART CLUB
Create together.
Shared projects · Creative community
As Art Club president, I lead the club and organize projects that give classmates a way to make art together.
MY CONTRIBUTION
Connect creative ideas with the work of organizing a group.
PROM COMMITTEE MEMBER
Plan a shared night.
Planning · Budget · Atmosphere
I help compare venues, plan the budget, design decorations, prepare the playlist, and set up the space.
MY CONTRIBUTION
Turn practical choices into a welcoming shared experience.
THE THREAD THROUGH IT ALL
“I show up because I knowhow being new feels.”
The spaces I want to design begin with the same question I ask in a community: what would help someone feel welcome here?
