About Hunter

Hunter Zhao is a junior honors student at the University of Michigan majoring in Sociology and History and a peer advisor at the Center for Global and Intercultural Study. As a first-generation, Chinese American student, Hunter has studied abroad in Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany, and Greece and said this about his opportunities abroad: “The Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates was an ideal program for someone like me who comes from a low-income, working-class family because it changed my career path and sparked my passion in global education.”

Hunter serves on the University of Michigan’s Campus Climate Committee where he collaborates with a team of students and administrators to determine campus trends that affect the lives of students, whether domestic or abroad. He is presently serving as a site leader for Immigration and Refugee Rights, Michigan Active Citizens: University of Michigan’s Alternative Spring Break program and is leading initiatives to advocate for and support first-generation college students and higher education institutions working to remove the barriers facing undocumented students.

“Hunter has demonstrated a passion and commitment to the field of diversity and inclusion by developing mentoring relationships with his peers and university administration, and by leading discussions about identity in pre-departure orientation sessions. He has an exceptional work ethic, perseverance, and ambition to implement ideas and actions that embody diversity and inclusion,” said Ebony Ellis, Senior Intercultural Programs Advisor, Center for Global Intercultural Study.

About the Diversity Abroad Global Student Leadership Award