Andy Zhang

Background

About Andy Zhang

Hello! My name is Andy Zhang, and I’m a rising senior at the University of Connecticut studying economics and environmental sciences. Outside the classroom, I’m an avid reader, language learner, and plant-based eater. I’m passionate about driving systemic change to address the climate crisis through law and public service. Whether analyzing climate accountability legislation at the Office of the New York State Attorney General, advocating for sustainable food procurement with Friends of the Earth, or serving as a Sustainability Intern at UConn, my work is grounded in the belief that environmental policy must be bold, inclusive, and justice-oriented. Currently, I serve as UConn’s Student Body President, where I lead a 120+ member organization and oversee a $2.4 million budget to advance equity and student advocacy. I also founded the Plant Futures UConn Chapter—our campus’s first student group focused on plant-based climate solutions—and launched the ECollaboration Sustainability Network to unite changemakers across disciplines in driving collective impact. Across my work, I strive to build solutions that center people, the planet, and policy. From shaping UConn's sustainability strategy to conducting financial analyses for food waste reform, I bring a systems approach to environmental advocacy—one that recognizes climate justice as inseparable from public health, equity, and economic resilience.