A Mindset to Help 

On a cold, wintry night just before the Chinese New Year, Zhe Zhang (MEM ‘24) saw an old lady walking down a street in his small city in China, struggling to drag her luggage behind her.  

The stranger said she lived far out in the dark countryside, and she was planning to walk the entire way back. Then a middle schooler, Zhang let his mother know of the old woman’s situation: Zhang’s mother, not wanting to put her son in a potentially dangerous situation, made him take a 20-something-year-old neighbor to help the woman.  

The three ended up traveling back-to-back-to-back on the same motorcycle to bring the woman – and her luggage – to her home, about 40 miles away. When he saw she would be all alone for the New Year, Zhang invited her back to his house the next day to celebrate alongside his family (he and the neighbor returned to drive the old woman).  

Zhang brought those ideals to the US to study in Northwestern's Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program. His giving spirit only grew as he worked toward his MEM degree.  

“I always have had this mindset to help people,” he said. “Some people don't think I should do that because there are some bad people out there who will take advantage of you and trick you, but I haven’t found any of those people yet, so I keep helping.” 

Zhang found himself reminiscing about that Chinese New Year encounter during his own winter break in MEM. He was alone at the time, and he said he felt depression creeping in. He reached out to a colleague, who brought him to a local Rotary meeting. There, he ran into fellow Rotarian and MEM director Mark Werwath.  

From there, Zhang’s natural instincts took over. Soon, he was deeply involved not only in the Rotary Club and its projects but other volunteer chances he learned about.  

“As one new to the US, I was really just trying to fit in the new environment,” he said. “That's the reason I wanted to join a lot of these opportunities.” 

Those opportunities included helping with a holiday postcard drive, volunteering at a local YMCA, participating in community cleanup events, joining a Walk for the Homeless, and serving in a soup kitchen.  

This connection to local volunteer efforts turned Zhang’s time in the MEM program into a life-changing experience. He came to the US to boost his career prospects because of an innate desire to keep learning and a downturn in the Chinese construction market and real estate economy.  

“I noticed there wasn’t much chance for me there and that I’d be doing the same thing for the next 10 years,” he said. “I didn’t want to be in the same position. I always want to keep learning.”  

The MEM program provided him the opportunity to build on what he learned while earning his bachelor’s degree in China in civil engineering. While in MEM, he discovered that the same compassion for others he showed through volunteering was also applicable in the workplace. 

Now he's applying those lessons as a supply chain analyst with Chicago-based Turner Construction Company. Remaining in the area allowed him to continue volunteering around the city.  

“I just want to help people,” he said. “I have this kind of mindset because I’m really touched by people here, and I just want to help them and not ask for anything in return.”