Hi everyone! I’m Zihao (Zacky) Huang. I was born and raised in mainland China in a coastal city called Zhuhai. It’s not a huge city, but it’s the kind of place that feels warm and energetic.
Before being accepted into the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters of Berkeley Global Access Program, I was studying business administration at Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan. While I was there, I became interested in technology, innovation and the types of new business models that grow out of them. I was really drawn to the question of how technology doesn’t just change industries, but how people think, work and connect with each other.
So before coming to Berkeley, I was already curious about the space between business and tech. But Berkeley was the place that really took that curiosity and turned it into something much bigger.
My original plan was pretty simple: Finish my four years in Tokyo, graduate and then find a business-related job. That was the safe, normal route. But then one day, by complete accident, I checked my home university email and saw a message about study-abroad opportunities at top universities around the world.
And the funny thing is, I almost never check that inbox (shh…keep it low!). Like ever. So the fact that I even saw that email still feels kind of miraculous.
Once I saw Berkeley on the list, it immediately stood out. A one-year visiting-student program at Berkeley just felt different. Berkeley already had this huge reputation in my mind: world-class academics, amazing people and, of course, the legendary “Nobel Laureate parking spot” energy, which I still think is one of the most Berkeley things ever!
So after seeing that email, I spent about half a year preparing for IELTS, working on applications, and trying to earn both the scholarship and the recommendation from my university. It was honestly a long process, but looking back it was also the moment I accidentally made one of the best decisions of my life.
Berkeley already had this huge reputation in my mind: world-class academics, amazing people and, of course, the legendary “Nobel Laureate parking spot” energy, which I still think is one of the most Berkeley things ever!
Studying Beyond Business
One of the funniest things about my Berkeley experience is that I came here as a business student and then somehow ended up taking astronomy, computer science, sociology and some business classes.
The two classes that left the strongest impression on me were Professor Alex Filippenko’s Introduction to General Astronomy and Professor Dan Garcia’s The Beauty and Joy of Computing. Those classes were unforgettable. They were exciting, intense and, honestly, kind of worldview-expanding.
On paper, they may not look super connected to my major, but in reality they changed the way I think about technology, learning and even my own future.
Astronomy gave me this much bigger sense of scale. It really forces you to think in a universe perspective, beyond your usual daily anxieties. And computer science made me realize how satisfying it is to think structurally, to build things and to solve problems in a way that actually works.
They helped me see technology, business and myself from completely different angles, and they also helped me rethink what kind of path I actually want in life.
Berkeley classes felt pretty different in a lot of ways compared to my home university.
The first big thing was the office-hour culture and the graduate students system. At Berkeley, it felt normal to talk to professors and teaching assistants directly, ask questions, admit when you were confused and just have real conversations about what you were learning. That was pretty new to me.
At my home university, I didn’t often have that kind of direct academic interaction with professors, so this was something I really appreciated.
Another thing is that Berkeley classes often don’t just stop at the lectures. There are discussions, labs, group work and other formats that make learning feel way more alive. You’re not just sitting there absorbing information and hoping it sticks for a whole semester. You are actually using it, testing it, arguing about it, sometimes suffering through it a little and then finally understanding it.
Some of the best learning happened outside of the classroom, too. For example, in my astronomy class, I joined the Lick Observatory field trip, which was amazing. We got to see the telescopes and observation equipment up close, and we even visited Professor Filippenko’s observing setup, which was ridiculously cool. I remember thinking, “Okay, this is not a normal class anymore. This is something I won’t ever forget for the rest of my life.”
At Berkeley, learning didn’t feel boxed in. It spilled out into conversations, trips, events and random moments of inspiration.
Another thing is that Berkeley classes often don’t just stop at the lectures. There are discussions, labs, group work and other formats that make learning feel way more alive.
Exploring, Exploring, Exploring
I have to say, California and the Bay Area are kind of unfair. There’s everything here! Tech, nature, culture, weirdness, beauty—all of it.
Outside of class, I tried to explore as much as I could. I went to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and spent a whole day watching sea lions do absolutely nothing but chill. And somehow it was still a fantastic day. That feels very California to me.
One night around midnight, I went up to the Big C to watch a meteor shower, which is still one of my favorite memories. There was something surreal about standing up there in the cold, gazing up at the sky, with the city lights below. It was one of those moments where life suddenly feels much bigger than your to-do list and career goals.
I also went on trips with friends to national parks, including Kings Canyon and Joshua Tree. Those trips were incredible. California has this ability to make you feel very small in the best possible way.
As for on-campus activities, I also joined a night-time hiking event organized by Berkeley CHAOS, which was such a fun experience. Berkeley has this very specific energy where even a random club activity can turn into a core memory.
Connections That Change You
For me, “connections” doesn’t just mean networking or collecting LinkedIn contacts. It describes the people who quietly and fundamentally change the way you think.
At Berkeley, I met professors, GSIs, classmates and friends who were some of the most impressive people I have ever been around. Not just because they were smart—although they definitely are—but because of the way they approached
problems, ideas and life.
Being around people like that changes you. After a while, you start catching yourself thinking differently. When I run into a problem now, I’m less likely to think, “How do I get this over with?” and more likely to ask, “Wait, is there a better system for this? Can I automate it? Can I build a smarter way to deal with it?” That shift didn’t come out of nowhere. It came from the environment and the people around me.
I also think Berkeley gave me real appreciation for what I call the “geek spirit”—that kind of genuine excitement, the willingness to care deeply about something, to go one level deeper because you want to understand it better. That spirit really stayed with me.
When I run into a problem now, I’m less likely to think, “How do I get this over with?” and more likely to ask, “Wait, is there a better system for this? Can I automate it? Can I build a smarter way to deal with it?”
My Top 5 Things You Should Do
- Use the sleeping chairs in the libraries. Seriously. This sounds minor, but during the gap between classes or the time between midterms and finals, those chairs can save your day. Find them early. Future-you will be grateful.
- Visit the Astronomy Department, even if you’re not taking any of their classes. This amazing place can genuinely change how you think about your life.
- Take the streetcar to/from Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s one of those little San Francisco experiences that somehow ends up being way more memorable than you expected.
- On a sunny afternoon, sit on the lawn and just relax for a bit.
- Go to everything. Lectures, hackathons, office hours, orchestra performances, random campus events—just go. Berkeley is the kind of place where one random Tuesday event can end up giving you a new idea, a new friend or a whole new direction.
What Berkeley gave me was not just knowledge or skills. It gave me the courage to step into unfamiliar environments and not immediately panic when things are uncertain.
My Future Plans
Honestly, I really don’t know exactly where I’ll be in five or 10 years. Maybe Hong Kong. Maybe Tokyo. Maybe New York. Maybe the Bay Area again. Maybe somewhere completely unexpected.
I think what matters more to me is not the exact location, but whether I’m somewhere that keeps challenging me and pushing me to grow.
What Berkeley gave me was not just knowledge or skills. It gave me the courage to step into unfamiliar environments and not immediately panic when things are uncertain. I learned how to move toward change instead of waiting until everything feels safe and clear.
That kind of courage might be the most important thing I’m taking away from this experience. I don’t know exactly what the future looks like, but I do feel much more ready and confident to jump into it now.
My advice to future BGA students: Don’t come here trying too hard to stay exactly the same person you were before. Berkeley is too interesting for that. Let it change you a little. Or a lot.
Don’t be surprised if you walk out as a slightly newer and better version of yourself.
