COD Student Finds Balance Thanks to Student Success Scholarship

College of DuPage student Xuechao Zhang spends her days juggling three jobs, a full load of classes and a busy home life. At 23-years-old, Zhang’s situation is unique. With her mother living in China, she is the sole provider and caretaker of her two younger brothers.

Zhang moved to California in high school through a foreign student exchange program. Her positive experience led her mother and brothers to follow her. However, after she graduated from high school, her mom moved back to China to help her medical practice get out of bankruptcy.

Zhang had started taking classes at a local community college in Los Angeles but had to drop out in order to work full-time. She cleaned houses, tutored, waitressed and babysat while her brothers were at school.

At 21-years old, she decided to move her and her brothers across the country to Naperville after being unhappy with the school districts in California.

“It was a rough time,” she said. “I never thought I’d never be able to go to school again because my priorities had to shift.”

With aspirations of becoming a physician, once her brothers were settled into a new school, Zhang knew she needed to make her education a priority. She found COD at the perfect time, she said.

“My experience at community college in California was terrible and I thought that’s how all community colleges were,” she said. “But at COD, the faculty have become like family to me. I’m only 23, but I don’t live like a normal 23-year-old. Everyone I’ve encountered at COD has been supportive of helping me in any way they can.”

Zhang is currently in her third semester at COD earning her Associate of Science degree thanks to earning a COD Succeeds Scholarship to help her pay for tuition and outstanding loans.

“I wouldn’t have been able to continue as a full-time student without that money,” she said. “One thousand dollars might not be a lot to some people, but to me that was the difference between quitting school or continuing. I don’t qualify for financial aid due to my unique situation, so this scholarship was my only chance.”

In between classes, Zhang works in the Field and Experiential Learning/Study Abroad/Global Education Office as a student worker. Field Studies Manager Maren McKellin said Zhang is a most-deserving recipient of a scholarship.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with many high-achieving students over the years,” she said. “Xuechao stands out in that crowd. She balances a challenging academic course load with an equally demanding personal life. All of this while giving nothing less than 100 percent to her job. I know that she will continue to excel academically as a thank you for the scholarship and to those who found her worthy of this honor.”

Zhang is still unsure of her future plans but hopes she can earn a scholarship and transfer to University of Illinois at Chicago and enter their pre-med program.

“I’m sad I have to leave COD at some point, I want to stay forever,” she said. “I’m going to miss my teachers, friends and the community I’ve formed here. COD gave me a future.”