How Xinying Zeng’s Evans Education Shaped a Decade of Impact
When Xinying Zeng, MPA ’16, left China to pursue graduate school in the U.S, she was driven by a clear sense of purpose. She wanted to create systemic change in the environmental space, and saw public policy as a powerful way to address challenges that cross borders.
As she explored programs, a trusted Evans alum introduced her to Evans. The MPA program stood out for its academic strength and its setting. Seattle was a place actively shaping environmental policy, where local governments were leading early climate efforts. The connection between policy and action became real through both her academic and student experiences. In her capstone project with the City of Bellevue, Xinying gained her first close look at the inner workings of American local government. Through stakeholder mapping and interviews across departments, she began to understand how systems function behind the scenes.
Outside the classroom, she helped co-found the US-China Environment Forum through her involvement in the Evans International Student Association and GreenEvans. She recalls long hours spent in the Dungeon (an affectionate name for the graduate student lounge) working through logistics and speaker outreach with her peers. Those moments became some of the most formative of her time at Evans.
When the forum was later featured in a Seattle Times article, it reinforced what she was learning. With the right partners, it was possible to build something that extended far beyond borders.
As an international student, that foundation proved essential when building a career in the U.S. Evans equipped Xinying with the analytical skills and confidence to navigate a new professional landscape. Support from the Nancy Bell Evans Scholarship allowed her to pursue an internship with The Nature Conservancy, which grew into a full-time career.
Today, as Associate Director of Development, Xinying draws directly on her Evans education. Her work centers on connecting individual contributions to broader systems-level outcomes, helping others understand how change happens and who it impacts.
That same mindset has shaped her work beyond her primary role. Through her startup, Oyster Dome, she applies systems thinking to sustainable fashion, focusing on how to reduce waste by helping people rethink their wardrobe consumption.
Ten years after graduating, Xinying sees Evans not as a past experience, but as a mindset that continues to guide her. “The Evans mindset is hardwired into everything I do,” she shared.
For current and prospective students, her advice is grounded in reflection. Evans, she says, is more than a place to earn a degree. It is a journey of self-discovery. In a world that can feel increasingly volatile, it offers something steady. A place to reset, to rethink who you want to be, and to find the people who will help you get there.
“Believe in yourself and the purpose that brought you here,” she reflected. Even when the path feels difficult, she emphasizes that Evans equips students with both the tools and a community that believes in their potential.