Leadership ePortfolio
Aspiring Urban Planner | B.A. in Urban Planning | Minor in Informatics
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Throughout college, I’ve had the opportunity to develop knowledge in leadership studies and apply them to my leadership experiences. This journey has been recorded on this website as evidence of growth and reflection. I hope you’ll enjoy viewing my leadership development experience as much as I enjoyed going through them.
A little more about me...
Hello. My name is Xuezhu Zhao and my English name is Gillian. My chinese name means "snow" and "bamboo." In Chinese culture, "snow" could be interpreted as nourishing and "bamboo" signifies virtue and growth. My friends say my name is a great fit of my personality. I pick my English name after watching the show "Lie to Me". I adore the independent, charming, and knowledgeable traits of Gillian Foster, the female protagonist in the show.
After spending 18 years of my life in Beijing, China, I came to the U.S. to study Urban Planning. I enjoy studying Urban Planning very much and am dedicated to use transportation and land use policy research to promote vibrant and sustainable communities. I am also pursuing a Informatics minor, a leadership certificate and a GIS certificate.
Besides Urban Planning, I am also interested in Informatics, Economics, and of course, Leadership Studies. I am not hesitant in taking on leadership roles - I am very involved with Alpha Rho Chi and Chinese Engineering Student Association. I am also a cohort lead at the Illinois Leadership Center. I've always interpreted leaders as role models and well-rounded people who bring out positive influence. I enrolled in the Leadership Certificate Program to help track my progress and develop a systematic knowledge of how to become a better leader.
In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, listening to music and looking at arts. Recently I developed a new hobby of making videos and has been trying to make time for it. I love the effective story-telling and information dissemination powers of videos.
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”