Ethan Zhang - Bronze Award

School: Stoller Middle School
Category: Teens (11-15)
Hours: 66

Ethan Zhang is an 8th grader. Ever since he was little, he was always interested in math and chess. Earlier this year when pandemic hit all of us and schools were closed, many parents and students started to worry about missing education and social interactions with their peers. Inspired by the spirits of giving and sharing, Ethan joined youth-link with other volunteers. He and his friends formed a mentor group to teach math lessons for a group of 4-5th graders. This program, running three times a week and lasted for the rest of the school year, was warmly received by the students and parents.

Chess is another long-time hobby of Ethan. During the lockdown, Ethan and his friends at chess4kids led weekly chess lessons for students. This gave the students an opportunity to play their favorite game and stay connected with their friends in this socially distanced environment.

Additionally, Ethan has been interested in computer science for a long time, especially in the cyber security area. Along with the transition of traditional in-person education to online platforms and nearly unlimited screen time, students are facing increasing online security risks. To promote cyber security education, Ethan helped to create Youth Cyber Defender, a student-run non-profit organization dedicated for youth cyber security education. He spent a lot of time creating promotion YouTube videos and successfully hosted educational seminars for students.

The year of 2020 changed everyone’s life, including Ethan’s. But it also gives Ethan an opportunity to discover how he could use his knowledge and passion to help other people in his local community. Knowledge is power, sharing knowledge is even more powerful.

Oregon Chinese Coalition is proud to join the President of the United States in recognizing the volunteers who consistently take the time to make a difference in the lives of others. Therefore, it is a great honor to present the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) to Ethan Zhang.