Remember Heather Harrison? We matched the scholarship that she won. Meet Jeff Zhao. He invited her to Zinch, and now he gets a scholarship too.
Jeff is our first ever Moocher. He was a runner up for the March Madnezz scholarship, invited a ton of friends to Zinch, and one of them (Heather) happened to win a scholarship for herself. Now they’re both getting money for school, and it was easy as inviting a friend to Zinch.
I got to ask him a few questions about life and school, plans for the future, and what he wants to be in life. Jeff is pretty cool, and we’re happy to give cool people money for college.
So, how easy was it to Mooch off your talented friend?
Very easy - I sent out hundreds of Zinch invites because I was one of the 64 finalists for Zinch’s $20,000 scholarship, and Heather happened to be one of them!
I’m sure you have talents of your own. What can you do?
I have played the piano for 10 years, been a Lincoln-Douglas debater for 4 years. I’ve also really gotten into Ultimate Frisbee within the past 2 years, and I rap sometimes.
(check out Jeff’s $20k Zinch Rap).
What are your plans for this summer?
I will either be going back home to China or trying to find work in Houston. We’ll see what turns up!
Where are you going to attend college and what are you going to study?
I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin, and I am planning to study business.
Why is education important to you?
Because “an unexamined life is not worth living” (Socrates).
Have you applied for more scholarships?
I have. As I previously mentioned, I was part of Zinch’s $20,000 competition, and I recently applied for a debate scholarship as well as the Rand Institute’s essay competition for “Atlas Shrugged”.
What do you aspire to?
I aspire to change the world in my own little way, and make it a better place for my family and friends, and most importantly, my 3.5 year old brother, Justin.
What makes you more than a test score?
I’ve never felt defined by a number, and I don’t think anybody should. Although tests and GPAs are inevitably necessary standards by which colleges evaluate candidates, I am personally much prouder to have taught some great kids in debate and to have the privilege of making some great friends both in and out of the HS debate community. Also, much more recently, I taught my brother how to count a 4/4 rhythm, which was just flat-out AWESOME.
We’re excited about Jeff and Heather. Are you next?
Click here to find out more about Mooching and Matching Scholarships, only from Zinch.
