At 15, Anna Jin Xiang Zhao was told by her teacher about an unusual opportunity. William Louey was looking for outstanding students at leading Chinese high schools to support their education abroad. In 1997, Anna became part of the second group of mainland Chinese students selected by the William S.D. Louey Educational Foundation.

A rare path at the time

Anna studied at Millfield School in the UK before going on to Cambridge. She has spoken about how unusual it was then for a student from mainland China to study overseas, something that is far more common today. For her, the experience changed everything. “Receiving the William Louey scholarship changed my life forever,” she has said.

Alongside a world-class education, Anna absorbed William’s own philosophy. He made it clear that he did not want his scholars to repay their tuition. He wanted them to pay it forward.

From Cambridge to Goldman Sachs

After completing her studies, Anna moved to Hong Kong and joined Goldman Sachs. Her career gave her the means to give back, but she has often said it was William’s values that gave her the desire to do so. She remembers his words about making the world a better place as the only repayment he ever asked for.

Paying it forward in practice

Anna was one of the founders of the Pay It Forward Scholarship, created by former scholars to help Chinese students gain access to higher education. She has also established her own foundation, which supports talented students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees at Oxford.

Through the Wang Family Foundation, Anna and her husband work with the China Oxford Scholarship Fund to select and sponsor students from Greater China and Hong Kong each year. Her giving focuses mainly on science and medicine, fields she cares about deeply.

Like William, she takes a hands-on approach. She stays in regular contact with the students she supports, offering encouragement and advice as well as funding.

Why the idea works

Repaying a debt closes a loop. Paying it forward opens a chain. When a scholar helps someone else, the original gift keeps working long after the first degree is finished, and each new recipient is invited to do the same.

Anna hopes to pass these values on to her own children, teaching them generosity and service from an early age. She sees her work as a legacy for future generations and hopes it will inspire others to make the world better.

Read Anna’s full profile on our Scholar Stories page.