Matthew
Zhou
Matthew Zhou is a dynamic secondary school student based in Toronto. His interests lie at the intersection of business, economics and engineering, as he believes that making real impact requires an interdisciplinary approach.
The Story
Growing up, the smiles of other people always never failed to satisfy Matthew. He believes that the world only succeeds through kindness. Matthew first looked into the medical field to heal the wounded and change peoples lives and transitioned into business to increase the scope and make lives easier. With an attitude of pursuing real life experience, Matthew has chosen various activities to boost his credentials. He founded First Aid Links, a youth organization which aims to advocate for and democratize education and skills in delivering aid. The first project of the organization involves filming five videos of first aid treatment, showing how to help ppl when they have urgent medical issues.
He founded Physics Club and Science Society at school in order to promote intellectual curiosity and development in the subject and apply the knowledge with his schoolmates to tackle real world problems. He also created Innovators Society which connects passionate engineers in developing their own marketing and products. Matthew is also a member of DECA and is an active tennis player.
One topic he cares a lot about is refugee rights. Most refugees, when entering a new country to seek help, often arrive in a state of poverty. Because of this, they are often unable to maintain their health. Also, given their status, they do not have access to employment, which makes accessing healthcare difficult. As an aspiring young social entrepreneur, I believe that everyone deserves to have a smooth transition. This is particularly true for younger refugees who are inexperienced with making a living. Some of his ideas to act on this cause is to support local public schools to connect and provide young refugees with education basics and identify clear and easy pathways to gain an initial sense of financial independence.
Looking forward, Matthew aims to create positive change in the healthcare and technology space, and one day realize his entrepreneurial spirit and start a new enterprise in the area. This starts with attending a world class university to gain the necessary academic and research credentials, while opening himself up to opportunities through fellowships and internships to build a stronger foundation for professional and personal growth.