Xinyuan “Sophie” Zhang (she/her) is a rising senior at Northwestern University, where she majors in History and International Studies and minors in Psychology.
For the past year, Zhang has translated primary sources and compiled secondary research relating to the Nghe-Tinh Rebellion in twentieth century Vietnam as a Leopold Fellow in the History Department at Northwestern. She is also a writing consultant at Northwestern’s Writing Place, where she assists Northwestern students of all levels and majors with writing projects.
Zhang’s research interests include immigration law, sites of immigration incarceration, international law on human rights, and histories of crimes against humanity. In the past, she has conducted research examining the efforts of the International Committee during the Nanjing Massacre and the portrayal of the massacre in the International Military Tribunal of the Far East.
Apart from her academic work, Zhang is interested in the histories and cultures of Eastern European countries and hopes to someday travel there extensively. She enjoys photography, exploring public transport systems, and trying diverse foods.
In the future, Zhang plans to pursue a J.D./Ph.D. (either jointly or separately) to further explore her interests in immigration and human rights law. During the SURF program, Zhang will work with Research Professor Jothie Rajah on her project examining President Trump’s Day One Executive Orders as law, text, and event.