Shenshou Zhang (MSc Development Management, 2014)

Shenshou Zhang standing in between bookshelves, holding an open book.

It was extremely fortunate to me that I gained the chance to study at the University of Birmingham in 2013. Although my master's degree programme was only for one year, it has played a significant role in promoting my personal growth and progress. For example, I am in the process of applying the research from my master's dissertation (Mutuality Principle as A Means of Promoting Sustainable Social Mobility in China) into practice.

I established Shanghai YZL Foundation, which was officially approved by the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau on 16 March 2023. To date, the Foundation has gained the support of more than 1,000 social leaders and over 80 leading enterprises. We have supported more than 6,000 university students whose parents are unable to care for them due to death, serious illness or disability, or imprisonment. We have also assisted more than 340 university volunteer teaching groups to support over 32,000 left-behind children from rural areas and help more than 2,600 particularly vulnerable children fulfil their wishes. As a result I was awarded the 2023–24 Study UK Outstanding Alumni Award for Social Impact by the British Council and the UK Embassy.