Before Zehui (Yolanda) Zhang ever stepped foot on UC Irvine’s campus, she had already absorbed one of the biggest lessons she would carry through college: “Sometimes small chances grow into big opportunities.”

This is something her mother used to tell her and something she finds herself repeating as she reflects on her undergraduate years.

Zhang grew up in Shanghai and describes her upbringing as one shaped by high expectations and quiet lessons in resilience.

“I realized how much of what she did was about helping me grow,” Zhang says about her mother. “She wasn’t just protecting me—she was teaching me how to think.”

Zhang now credits those early lessons with giving her the structure to plan ahead and the awareness to engage thoughtfully with the world—skills that would serve her well as a student and researcher.

Exploring new ground

Going abroad for college had long been a dream for Zhang, but choosing UC Irvine was a leap into the unknown. Drawn to its reputation for academic excellence and its safe, welcoming environment, she hoped to find both opportunity and community.

“When I arrived at UCI, I realized I had made the right choice,” she says.

Zhang arrived on campus with a curiosity about people and systems. She declared sociology as her major early on, intrigued by questions about inequality, culture, and the social forces that shape behavior. But it didn’t take long for her to realize she also wanted to understand the individuals within those systems. That led her to add psychological science as a second major, along with minors in public health and management.

Her academic path might sound ambitious, but Zhang’s choices were deeply intentional.

“Sociology looks at the big picture,” she explains. “Psychology helps me understand what’s going on internally. And management and public health gave me practical tools to connect everything.”

Zhang also quickly learned that understanding complex problems often requires stepping outside your comfort zone. In her first quarters at UC Irvine, she found it difficult to speak up in class, unsure of her English and hesitant to ask questions. But over time, she began to push herself—to raise her hand, visit office hours, and apply for programs and opportunities that once felt out of reach.

“I think UCI gave me the space and the freedom to explore my interests, try new things, and really grow into who I am today,” she says.

Learning through research

Zhang’s curiosity about sociology and psychology found a natural outlet in research. Over the course of her undergraduate years, she participated in multiple projects, both collaborative and independent, that explored topics ranging from language and cultural adaptation to healthcare delivery and rare disease narratives.

One of her earliest projects was also one of her most personal: her sociology honors thesis examined how language-switching between Chinese and English affected international students’ cultural adaptation and sense of belonging.

“Some students told me they feel more emotionally expressive in Chinese, but more academically confident in English,” Zhang says. “Switching between languages wasn’t just about translation—it actually shaped how students presented themselves.”

Zhang also joined the research team of Dean’s Professor of sociology Kristin Turney, where she worked on two long-term projects focused on health and mortality in the U.S. prison system. Her role involved extracting and organizing large volumes of complex data from state departments of corrections—demanding work that required sharp focus and strong analytical skills.

“Yolanda has excelled in this work,” Turney says. “She is a thoughtful and meticulous researcher. She’s been a wonderful addition to our team!”

Now, Zhang is conducting an independent research project under the guidance of sociology assistant professor of teaching Emily Carian, exploring the intersection of resource allocation, job satisfaction, and patient-caregiver relationships in Shanghai’s hospitals.

For Zhang, these experiences have not only deepened her academic interests—they’ve also shaped how she sees her role in the world.

“Research isn’t just about collecting data or doing interviews,” she says. “It’s really about asking good questions, being open to unexpected answers, and trying to make sense of things that don’t have easy explanations.”

A major turning point came when Carian encouraged Zhang to attend the Pacific Sociological Association Conference. Presenting at a roundtable with students and faculty from across the country was a new experience that gave her a surge of confidence and a clearer sense of belonging in the academic world.

A sense of possibility

Zhang will graduate in June with honors in both the Campuswide Honors Collegium and the Sociology Honors Program, and a long list of research and leadership experiences. This fall, she’ll begin a Master of Public Health program at Yale University, focusing on healthcare management. It’s a direction that brings together everything she’s explored at UC Irvine—from her majors and minors to her internships and independent studies.

In the future, Zhang hopes to work in hospital administration or health policy, helping to improve how care is delivered with an emphasis on efficiency, equity, and patient experience.

“I want to be someone who helps bridge the gap between data, people and policy,” she says. “I have seen how systems affect both providers and patients, and I want to be part of making those systems work better for everyone.”

Looking back, Zhang says the biggest gift UC Irvine gave her wasn’t just knowledge or credentials—it was a sense of possibility.

“This is the best time in my life to really try things,” she says. “I have the energy, the curiosity, and the room to make mistakes. I want to give my best to everything I do and take advantage of every opportunity.”

And true to her mother’s advice, she continues to keep an eye out for small chances that might grow into something more.

-Jill Kato for UC Irvine School of Social Sciences
-pictured: Yolanda Zhang presenting her research at the UROP symposium.