Nancy (Xiaofan) Huang

When seeking out a place to pursue post-graduate education, Nancy (Xiaofan) Huang, a native of Baoding, China, sought out an opportunity to attain the most well-rounded education she could.

“I had a friend recommend Olin as a place where I would feel pushed to work hard when surrounded by a group of aspiring classmates," she said. “In an environment like Olin, I could constantly be motivated by my peers, who are dedicated to working toward their goals.”

Placing that motivation in tandem with Olin’s numerous extracurricular opportunities to strengthen her “soft skills” Huang knew she had found the perfect fit.

A Hands-on experience

Huang said Olin’s focus on experiential learning was core to her experience at Washington University. As a master of accounting student, the ability to gain real-world, on-the-job experience has been invaluable, like the time she and her teammates spent weeks collaborating to evaluate a local startup company.

“The crystal-clear insights from the real-life client helped our team quickly immerse ourselves in our roles and better understand the rational and mechanics of what we were doing,” she said. “It was a very exciting and rewarding learning experience.”

A collaborative education

“Olin’s collaborative environment enhances my awareness and ability to build and use the network within and beyond Olin. Whenever I have a problem standing in the way, I can easily approach someone who can either directly help me solve the issue or refer me to more appropriate resources. Things move efficiently through a network where everybody is highly collaborative and nobody is left out.”

Community of support

From fellow students, professors, ambassadors and the Weston Career Center, Huang’s Olin experience has been made whole by the groups and individuals who provided support along the way. So much so, she volunteered her time to give back to the Olin community.

“I have learned and received support from all my professors and other great Olin resources, such as the WCC, academic advisors and classmates,” she said. “I was helped with my application from the student ambassadors who devoted their valuable time, so I became a student ambassador at Olin. I am hoping to connect with as many prospective students to better address their concerns and help smooth their application process.”

Ready for the next step

As her graduation date in December 2020 approaches, she is preparing for her next career step after Olin and Washington University. With a network of resources at her side—including her professors and academic advisors, who she describes as “invaluable”—Huang is ready to face the world with her experiences and network in tow.