Nancy Zhao
Class Of 2014,
Nancy Zhao attended CIS from 2010-2014 (9th-12th grade) and went on to attend Washington University in St. Louis. She initially pursued an undergraduate degree in pre-med, but switched to pre-law during her junior year. She ended up double-majoring in International Studies and Chinese, with a minor in Music.
After graduating with her bachelor’s degree, Nancy earned a JD from Washington University School of Law. She graduated in May 2021 and now resides in Chicago, IL. She works as a corporate and securities attorney.
Nancy says due to CIS’s smaller size, she was able to participate in many organizations and activities and receive 1:1 attention from her teachers. Her favorite activity was anything music related. She was in orchestra, concert band, jazz band, guitar ensemble, and was a TA/composer/assistant conductor for some of the ensembles. She loved being able to arrange music and perform solos in concerts and competitions.
One of her most vivid memories from her time at CIS is getting lost at a college campus with her Science Olympiad partner during a competition – they showed up around 20 minutes late to their event and still placed first! They laughed (along with their coach) during the awards ceremony.
Nancy has some advice for current CIS students. “Participate in everything you are interested in (even the slightest bit)! Don’t be afraid to try new things, and always reach out to me if you have questions.”