Zezhou (Zach) is both a first-generation college student and medical student in the Health Sciences and Technology (HST) Program at the Harvard Medical School. He is originally from Wuxi, China and has lived in the United States for the past 9 years. He received both his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the Johns Hopkins University. During his undergraduate career and throughout his master's education, Zach was involved in HIV and extracellular vesicle research with the Witwer Lab. His research focused on discovering new biomarkers and mechanisms important during HIV pathogenesis. Outside of the wet lab, he worked passionately to bridge the gap in healthcare inequality by pioneering a first-of-its-kind integrated HIV screening & PrEP referral project in the Hopkins Emergency Room. Zach is also involved with the LGBTQ community at Hopkins by building a supportive campus climate as a SafeZone facilitator. When he is not engaging in medicine or science, you can find him either in nature or in the kitchen as he loves exploring various cultures via the lens of traveling and food. He also enjoys being physically active and being in the gym. Talk to Zach if you have questions about doing research as an undergraduate, finding your niche/community in college, or simply navigating the premed landscape as an international student.