Written by W. Logan Schultz
Lakeland, FL — “So my first week here, I had a miserable time,” said student Sidney Zhao on her introduction to Florida Southern College. “I was honestly so sad…it was the Thursday [after classes had started] and I was doing laundry and I was like, ‘I have no friends here.’ I was so lonely.”
Zhao is currently one of the most prominent student leaders at Florida Southern. A senior majoring in Mathematics, the Chicago-native has held a variety of positions in the Asian Pacific Islander Student Association, the Association of Campus Entertainment and the Multicultural Student Council. She has done this all while keeping up with her academics, even taking on the position of a peer mentor.
While Zhao may be well-connected and involved on campus now, things did not start off that way. On that Thursday of her first week of college, she walked and sat on a bench along the nearby Lake Hollingsworth and cried to her brother over the phone. He pointed out that only two days had passed and suggested she get out of her room and start being around people on campus.
The following Monday, Zhao attended her first meeting with APISA. That night would mark her introduction to many important parts of her life, including people who would become her boyfriend of three years and counting, her best friend and roommate for the rest of her time in college, and the cultural organization she would become the president of in her senior year.
“I felt really welcomed in APISA… I needed people that I feel like wouldn’t really judge me or that I had to impress in some way,” Zhao said. The first-generation American explained that having an environment of people who looked like her and may have had a similar background to her made a world of difference in her life.
She slowed down at portions of the dialogue, choosing her words carefully. She sat cross-legged on the carpet, with an honest and warm stature for someone talking about such a challenging time in her life. Zhao explained that she often skims over details of her achievements with her parents, due to both the language barrier and her wanting to save their time. Though she does not mention it often, she gets satisfaction in having risen through the ranks in APISA and ACE, now aiming to set these clubs for success in the future.
“This is my time. I like paying it forward, I like helping people, I like giving back to the community,” Zhao said. She emphasized this repeatedly as her main motivation for involvement, especially considering those who came to FSC after her. “I don’t know why that hits home for me so much, but I just want to do better for people, future students or incoming freshmen, I don’t want them to feel the same that I did. I want to make sure they have a fun space and they have something inviting…” she said.
This is a mentality Zhao takes into all of her organizations. Whether it is working on a high scale with ACE executive duties and managing the MSC budget, or spearheading APISA as a much smaller organization, she spoke of all her positions with equal passion and intent, evoking a sense of responsibility she holds herself to.
Zhao’s efforts toward curating a welcoming environment are supported by her friends and fellow board members, including ACE director Valerie Freeman. Freeman met Zhao two years ago when she was a freshman and Zhao was on the leadership team. According to Freeman toward the end of the 2023-2024 school year, Zhao encouraged her repeatedly to apply for the ACE leadership team, going as far as to say, “I want to work with you next year.”
“She [Zhao] is one of the most dedicated people I know, as well as extremely patient, and she always has ideas flowing through her head and she’s never afraid to share them with whoever she may be working with,” Freeman said. “She’s an extremely good person to work around and be around.”
Freeman’s recounting of experiences with Zhao both within ACE and as a friend mirrored Zhao’s own description of her efforts at Florida Southern. “For other organizations, specifically in this case APISA, she has pushed so many people to join and made sure they feel that comfort, “Freeman said. “You do not have to be Asian, you do not have to be in any sort of way affiliated culturally with APISA to be able to join.”
Freeman is hosting the ACE Cram Jam events this year, which Zhao has been in charge of the past two years. Freeman remarked that whenever things have challenged her in the planning process this year, Zhao has been a consistent source of advice and guidance. “I see her as a mentor in a way, and I think it’s really good to have that around,” Freeman said of Zhao.
This aligns with Zhao’s perspective on her current role in her organizations as someone who has successfully climbed the ladder into higher positions over the years with graduation on the horizon.
“A lot of the time I’m now focused on ‘how do I make sure they do this next year’ or like ‘how do I make sure I’m showing them how to do it well.” she said. “I don’t think my goal of being involved has changed…but there’s only so much I can do now.”
A sentiment Zhao echoed throughout our conversation is how her goal at Florida Southern has been to “pay forward” the experiences and opportunities she was given as a younger student. It’s safe to say that she will continue to do this until she graduates this May, when she plans to return home to Chicago.
