Student Profile: Yilin Zhao, MPP Class of 2028

“What I have found,” said Yilin Zhao, MPP Class of 2028, “is that when people are very young—myself included—we often feel like we are the main character of the world. But as we grow older, we begin to realize we are actually quite ordinary. So, for a really long time, I had been wondering, What can I do that truly matters?” 

Initially, Zhao thought economics would be that pathway. “I was majoring in investment as an undergraduate at Nanjing Agricultural University and became increasingly interested in how data could be used not only to understand markets but also to improve decision-making in a broader social policy context.” 

Then, while she was an exchange student at Seoul National University, Zhao had an epiphany.  

“I was taking a course on human rights and international organizations that was taught by Chinsung Chung, who has spent her entire career addressing issues of inequality and human rights—and who earned her PhD at the University of Chicago. After she discussed the work she and others had accomplished at the United Nations, I asked her whether ordinary people like me might have a chance to contribute to the world. She said that not only was it possible, but that it starts with something very simple—searching for opportunities and taking action. That response reshaped the way I thought about the impact, responsibility, and role individuals can play in the public system.” 

Inspired by Chung’s work at the UN, Zhao applied for and secured an internship with the UN’s policy team. “One of my key duties was to help respond to special cases that staff submitted, which involved searching for precedence in decades’ worth of UN documents. Finding applicable information was time-consuming—there was basically an entire floor of documents. I was asked if I could make the process more efficient, so I wrote a proposal for using AI to create something similar to a ChatGPT-style tool for finding documentation. Over the course of several weeks’ worth of collaboration with IT, we were able to make it happen.”

By the time her internship ended, Zhao said, they had refined the model to a 60% accuracy rate and greatly reduced the research and verification time. “That experience gave me a deep sense of meaning. In previous internships, I definitely gained skills, but this was the first time I felt like my contribution had a tangible impact—that it could help an international institution serve the public more efficiently and benefit people across different countries.”  

After her UN internship ended, Zhao began one at TikTok. “TikTok is full of employees and teams who study data and IT, so it seemed a good opportunity to learn more about data analysis methods and applications.” 

However, Zhao knew she still wanted to gain deeper data analytic skills—and choosing Harris for this process, she said, was fairly easy.  

“Honestly, ever since learning professor Chung was a University of Chicago alumni, the school has been an aspiration. Then after doing research, I saw that Harris’ combination of rigorous modeling, economic analysis, and applied statistics—combined with courses in policy evaluation and program design—will equip me to address multifaceted social challenges.” 

As for where she sees herself in the future, Zhao said she hopes to join an international organization and design and evaluate policies that advance equity and sustainability. “Ideally,” she said, “I want to combine analytical rigor, cross-cultural perspective, and a commitment to transformative solutions to actively improve the world.”