r/ApplyingToCollege • u/Late-Variation3383 • Aug 30 '26
Application Question Olivia Zhang - spin off - Researched Claims/Documented Inconsistencies
I believe Olivia has completely made up huge parts of her story. Some commenters believe she may have lied about some things (being first gen) but her background story is true (raised by teacher and grandpa, was on food stamps) and her statements about her nonprofit are true. I believe this info is also riddled with lies and gross exaggerations. Also, some commenters say it is fine to say she isn't first gen but it is too much to go after her for other lies. No - that is exactly what happens when you put yourself out there. It is not only appropriate but necessary to call people on inaccuracies. She has sold an entire story about herself that has benefitted her and she is now trying to present herself as someone others can look up to and learn from but if that story is based on exaggerations/lies, then she should be exposed and should “teach” no one. She is trying to sell herself as a paid consultant and speaker on college apps, nonprofits, etc. - if it is bogus, it is time for that to come to light. (BTW, her explanation Insta posts say that she puts herself out there so others can learn and look up to her but then why on earth is she SELLING her information in her book – which has 15 reviews from Harvard friends whom she personally asked to buy her book)?
HER BACKGROUND:
A. FIRST GEN:
Harvard defines first gen as someone whose parents did not graduate from college anywhere: "Harvard considers you a first generation college student if you were the first generation of your immediate family to graduate from a four-year college or the equivalent. First Generation students as well as students from historically disenfranchised communities are an integral part of HGSE. We work to support students who commonly "don't know what they don't know." https://osa.gse.harvard.edu/first-generation-and-low-income-student-community-flic
Obviously, her parents earning degrees beyond college will exclude you from claiming you are first gen by this definition. Her father has a PhD electrical engineering which he spent 10 years obtaining 1989-1999 from Xi'an Jiaotong University which was completed years before Olivia was born. This article quotes Olivia as stating that her mother did graduate from college: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/started-cancer-nonprofit-14-losing-131601676.html “She was the first one in her family to graduate high school, then college.”
Her mother earned a Master of English Literature and Linguistics between 1997 – 2000 (again, before Olivia was born) in China at Southwestern University. Additionally, her mother earned a Master of Science in Professional Accounting from Strayer University between 2004-2006 (during which time Olivia was born until she was a year old) and she earned a certificate from Harvard's Senior Executive Fellows Program. She is now the CFO of The Community Partnership and has worked there since Olivia was a year old.
Harvard’s quote about wanting to support first gen students who don’t know what they don’t know is very relevant to Olivia because that is the completely opposite of the opportunities she had. She posted a video on Instagram about her mom’s strict rules when she grew up, matching more of a Tiger Mom mentality than someone who knows nothing about education and could not help her daughter navigate the college process. An article dated 12/23/2000, she claimed that her “parents also prioritized education, so [she and her] little sister and often attended out-of-school academic classes, played many different sports as well, ranging from swim to lacrosse. Writing, art, and singing were also some extracurriculars [they] participated in — having a busy after school schedule was common for [them]. https://medium.com/authority-magazine/young-social-impact-heroes-why-and-how-olivia-zhang-of-cancer-kids-first-is-helping-to-change-our-22821b1ec60c She said this again in 2026: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/started-cancer-nonprofit-14-losing-131601676.html “[Her mother] enrolled [her] in violin, piano, and Math Olympiad: all the extracurricular that other Asian American kids were doing.”
Similarly, the video where she opens her Harvard grades with her mom watching – it was clear her mom knew about As and expected As from Olivia. So, while the idea of giving first gen students a leg up is because they never received access to the knowledge of navigating the college application process is great for those who deserve it, it unfairly benefitted Olivia as someone who does not. OLIVIA: PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW YOUR PARENTS PRIORITIZED EDUCATION, ARE HIGHLY EDUCATED, AND YET YOU CLAIM YOU’RE FIRST GEN.
B. FOOD STAMPS:
Olivia has claimed many times that she grew up on food stamps (here at two such times: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQH5wdUkiQL/?hl=en and https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/ep-219-olivia-zhang-harvard-junior-grew-up-on-food/id1573117613 I can't see in any way how this could be true because: a) her dad's LinkedIn shows that he worked 1999-2003 as a project manager, which was before Olivia was born. The only gap in his impressive LinkedIn work history is from 2003-2005 which coincides with when he was at Georgetown getting his MBA and immediately after he earned it (at the beginning of 2006) he began working as an associate at Merge Global. Olivia was born in May 2005 so if her family was on food stamps (while he was finishing up his MBA) it would have been from the age of 0 to 7 months during which time – even if the food stamps story was true then – she’d be a newborn/infant and likely only started eating tiny amounts of baby cereal at around 6 months. Additionally, her parents purchased their home in McLean on 12/19/2009 when she was 4 for $915,000. Clearly, she could not have been on food stamps then. OLIVIA: WHAT YEARS WERE YOU ON FOOD STAMPS AND HOW DOES THIS COINCIDE WITH YOUR PARENTS FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT + PURCHASING, RETAINING AND MAINTAING A MILLION DOLLAR HOME, AND AFFORDING THINGS LIKE VIOLIN, PIANO, WRITING, ART, SINGING, OUT OF SCHOOL ACADEMIC CLASSES, SWIM, LACROSSE, ETC?
Part 3:
D. NonProfit Work
She claims in her Instagram August 2026 explanation video that she can’t post pictures showing what she does in the hospitals because of HIPAA. What does that have to do with posting photos, videos, etc. of YOU walking into the hospital with arms full of the things you’re claiming you’re donating? What nonprofit that is doing ongoing good isn’t showing this good work? It would make no sense that someone such as Olivia - who documents herself in coffee shops, airports, her dorm, her family home, etc. - would not then document the biggest thing she boasts about all the time (things like “here I am at the 70+ hospitals I partner with”)?
In her part 1 of her August 2026 Instagram explanation, Olivia says that all the best marketing CEOs know that storytelling is how you succeed in the selling of a nonprofit. Who would think that this great storyteller would then fail to actually story tell with documented proof of what she’s providing? Of course, there are occasional photos of art kids, gifts, books and those type of donations but where did the $600,000 claimed money that she has donated gone and how was it donated and where is that documented?
Her claimed impact went from:
· In 12/23/2000 (less than 6 years ago) that she aided close t0 20 pediatric cancer hospitals, raised over $4000, and donated more than 600 toys and books [20 hospitals, $4,000 donated)
· She claims in her sophomore year of high school she got thousands of volunteers within the span of a few hours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U6s8JY6W9w around 6:30 mark.
· A year later (2021) she claims she has gone from 20 to 50 pediatric hospitals, has over 18,000 volunteers in 45 different countries, with 70 local chapters supporting thousands of patients in In Virginia, over 900 students are volunteers in one of the three major areas of service: Arts, Events, and Fundraising. In the Fairfax County CKF Chapter, each area is headed by a student leader who integrates volunteers into the many opportunities available in CKF. https://fairfax.studentpeaceawards.org/olivia-zhang/ (NOTE: The article notes 2021-2022 because that was the school year for which she won this award, but the award is determined early into 2022 so it would reflect what was happening after 2021). [50 hospitals, 18,000 volunteers in 45 countries]
· In 2021 she also claimed in a GoFundMe: “In the past 2 years, Cancer Kids First has already donated 60,000 supplies to individual patients and our 70+ partner hospitals alike.” https://www.gofundme.com/f/cancer-kids-firstl [60,000 donated supplies, 70 hospitals]
· 2022: She claims: CKF’ provides support through five diverse programs: Arts, Toys/Books, Care Packages, Treatment Services, and Patient Interaction, and hosts a variety of online events, webinars, and fundraisers. In two years, ‘CKF’ has built coalitions with 55 hospitals and has helped thousands of patients in 15 countries. The organisation has sent over 30,000 cards/crafts to young cancer patients, donated over 15,000 resources to 48 paediatric cancer hospitals and delivered dream gifts to 230 patients worldwide. https://diana-award.org.uk/our-programmes-and-initiatives/award-and-development/roll-of-honour/roll-of-honour-2022 [55 hospitals, thousands of patients, 30,000 cards/crafts donated, 15 countries, 48 hospitals]
· 2022-2023: Her old website claims: CKF unites 28,000 volunteers and 70 chapters in its mission of normalizing the hospital environment and providing a loving community for pediatric cancer patients. In 3 years, CKF has donated 50,000 cards/crafts, toys, books, hospital equipment, and other resources to 69 partner hospitals—touching thousands of lives in 15 countries. CKF has also initiated 100+ events under its 5 service programs. https://cancerkidsfirst.wixsite.com/oliviazhang/work [28,000 volunteers, 50,000 cards/crafts/toys/books/hospital equipment donated to 69 hospitals in 15 countries]
· March 2024: They have supported over 10,000 lives through diverse programmes. They host a variety of online events to unite 40,000 young people in fostering a supporting environment for patients. They have utilised social media to spread their reach, sharing their mission with over 4.4 million young people. As a result, their volunteers skyrocketed from 120 to 7000 in one week.[united 40,000 young people in supporting patients, volunteers went from 120 to 7000 in a single week]
· March 2024: “ The group has developed partnerships with 70 hospitals in 19 countries.” https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/boston/news/olivia-zhang-cancer-kids-first-diana-award-change-makers/ [70 hospitals in 19 countries]
· March 31, 2025: Zhang, now 19, and her team have donated more than $600,000 worth of medical equipment, toys, cards, crafts, and more to
· patients around the world. https://upfront.scholastic.com/issues/2024-25/033125/q-a-corner-helping-kids-with-cancer.html [$600,000 of medical equipment/toys/crafts donated]
· As of 1/12026, she claims: Its three main programs—Arts (craft kits and activities), Treatment Services (medical supplies for low-income hospitals), and Patient Interaction (virtual events)—have donated more than $600,000 in supplies to 74 hospitals and supported 10,000+ patients in 22 countries. [$600,000 in supplies to 74 hospitals, supported 100,000+ patients in 22 countries]
· 3/9/26: Facebook account of Cancer Kids First claims that “we are 43,000 volunteers across 80 countries supporting 15,000 cancer patients.” [43,000 volunteers, 80 countries, 15,000 patients]
· Undated:
o Her website says “CKF has donated over $600,000 in supplies to 72 hospitals and impacted 10,000+ pediatric patients in 22 countries https://www.cancerkidsfirst.org/ourstory
o Scholastic describes it as more than $600,000 worth of medical equipment, toys, cards, crafts, and other items. https://upfront.scholastic.com/issues/2024-25/033125/q-a-corner-helping-kids-with-cancer.html
o Her website here says she has donated “medical equipment” https://www.cancerkidsfirst.org/impact
Where is the accounting for the jump from $4,000 in 2020 to more than $600,000 donated items? If you look at the IRS records, CKF has not filed a 990 form which is required if the amounts the organization takes in exceed $50,000/year. That means CKF is either taking in less than $50,000 a year OR she is taking in more and just skipping the IRS filing requirements: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/843948071 Considering that her mom works in nonprofit as a CFO, I think that is highly unlikely. Additionally, that GoFundMe that she started 5 years ago had a wished for amount of $5,000. Despite it being 5 years old and it still having recent donations coming in (the last one was 2 months ago), it has only raised $2,760. https://www.gofundme.com/f/cancer-kids-first
OLIVIA: WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN 3/2024 WHEN YOU CLAIM CKF DONATED 50,000 CARDS/CRAFTS/TOYS/BOOKS/HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT TO A YEAR LATER ON 3/31/2025 THAT IT JUMPED TO 600,000? WHAT PROOF DO YOU HAVE? WHAT HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT HAS CKF DONATED (WHERE/TO WHOM/WHY/PROOF)? WHAT PROOF DO YOU HAVE THAT YOUR VOLUNTEERS JUMPED FROM 120 TO 7000 IN A SINGLE WEEK? (CKF Facebook account is asking for interested people to start new chapters and posts like that get a single thumbs up). PROOF OF THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS? PROOF OF THE NUMBER OF HOSPITALS/COUNTRIES/PATIENTS?
My take: She created a nonprofit for college purposes and has exaggerated, lied and made unverified claims for years and has never been called on it. It is time for this to stop. I do believe she – and chapters of CKF – have done some Zoom type calls with kids (this seems rare) and has engaged in toy drives, card writing, book drives, and care package drives for very sick children, which matches the Cancer Kids First Facebook post of 1/16/26 that says for a New Year’s Resolution CKF challenges you to: do three hours of community service or CKF volunteering (ex. cards or patient interaction Zooms), preorder Olivia’s book, and share the book on social media.” (Did you catch the plug for buying Olivia’s book mixed in with a plea for volunteering?) But this type of plea – even if answered in full – doesn’t get you to $600,000. It does get her chapters to create nice things for children in need but a new nonprofit isn’t needed for this. (For example, the Facebook page for Cancer Kids First has a 10/31/2025 post that says the DECA Club at Cottonwood High School in Utah created cards and 3 boo baskets with personalized care packages for cancer patients. This seems like a typical type of service provided and it would match why CKF is not filing the required IRS 990 form that is needed if it brings in more than $50,000/year. It also matches the photographs and video footage out there on her doing work (creating care packages, holding donated books, showing cards created). It matches her not posting herself at hospital after hospital and it matches her not posting any information about donating to cancer research, for treatments, or for medical equipment- as she claims.
The story about her impact has grown and been lied about – without any single thing backing it up. In fact, her only back up is that she won awards that they vetted her. No, that isn’t what is largely done. She appears to have faked the story about first gen, faked having no real guidance in the college process, faked being on food stamps, faked the underlying reason for creating the nonprofit because she was raised in a wealthy suburb of DC by well off and well educated parents, has faked the extend of the nonprofit’s impact.
OLIVIA, I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSE BECAUSE WE NOW KNOW, YOU ARE READING THIS.
C. WHO RAISED HER/CLAIMED UNDERLYING REASON SHE STARTED HER NONPROFIT:
One claim she makes about a reason the nonprofit started was because a teacher who helped raise her was diagnosed with cancer. (This claim has been repeatedly made, a few examples: on 1/1/26 “Her grandfather and elementary school teacher, the two people who helped raise her, were both diagnosed with cancer and passed away within months of each other” and 2/2026 in Forbes “Her grandfather and elementary-school teacher were “the two people who helped raise her,” in a 4/29/2026 podcast “My parents spent a lot of time at their jobs and my teacher would take care of me every day often until 7:00 p.m.” and on her LinkedIn profile in which she describes the teacher and her grandfather that she as “two people who raised me while my immigrant parents worked late.”
Grandfather: How did her grandfather raise her? He lived in China! https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/started-cancer-nonprofit-14-losing-131601676.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMkWDSWGQ4HT5pp9qqktowBE9wEdnt5A1FrI_zAml7MZpZgdMNquz4PGqA0K8JKnex8yT2HhDcgzDe41nMjf53kYRVopLANXQzJ3fEyZQa9p7obVOWz_RdZNoJs14i56gS94V9GEW8OoZSBjTV9SMnf127mB-pJdNqQc2QJ2_Tgo “I was close with my grandfather in China, because we spent so much time together. At home in the US, I spent hours every school day with the same teacher in the afterschool program. When I was 13, both my grandfather and that teacher died from cancer.”
Teacher: The story morphed from it being a teacher she visited every day to it being a teacher who helped raise her. Besides the fact that this makes no sense – how is a county employed teacher able to spend day after day until 7:00 p.m. watching an elementary school student so her parents could work and CPS is not involved due to a child in need of services for neglect? OLIVIA: WHAT TEACHER WAS THIS SO IT CAN BE VERIFIED? In reality, this information will not be shared because if you dig further, you know that her “parents also prioritized education, so [she and her] little sister and often attended out-of-school academic classes, played many different sports as well, ranging from swim to lacrosse. Writing, art, and singing were also some extracurriculars [they] participated in — having a busy after school schedule was common for [them]. So how could she have been visiting this teacher daily and/or being taken care of this teacher daily until 7:00 p.m. if she also had a busy after school activity schedule? Then add to that it wasn’t an elementary school teacher who helped raise her, but rather she saw this woman daily at school because Olivia took an after school program with her. This was not a special bond between them because her parents were working and she needed to be watched for hours…this was a typical, for pay after school program which also supports her prior claims that her parents put her in lots of extracurricular activities: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/started-cancer-nonprofit-14-losing-131601676.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMkWDSWGQ4HT5pp9qqktowBE9wEdnt5A1FrI_zAml7MZpZgdMNquz4PGqA0K8JKnex8yT2HhDcgzDe41nMjf53kYRVopLANXQzJ3fEyZQa9p7obVOWz_RdZNoJs14i56gS94V9GEW8OoZSBjTV9SMnf127mB-pJdNqQc2QJ2_Tgo “At home in the US, I spent hours every school day with the same teacher in the afterschool program. When I was 13, both my grandfather and that teacher died from cancer.”
This makes perfect sense that neither the grandfather nor the teacher story is true because this is why it doesn’t make sense that as a result of two adults dying of cancer, she created a nonprofit for kids with cancer, pulling all nighters as a young age.
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Aug 31 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/No_Dare_9944 Aug 31 '26
Unless there’s someone like OP fixated on their story and they report them to their college and beyond. Look up McKenzie Fierceron
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u/thegrossip Aug 31 '26
And they lie about pretending they were broke but got into top universities from hard work so they can sell you some random courses
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u/Internal-Net-8669 Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
I actually do believe that people like this should be exposed. This is how this crazy college admissions stress has worsened over the years- other high schoolers see these Olivia videos and claims and some are left with feeling of inadequacy due to her exaggerated claims. Plus I dont think a person should , in general, be able to get away with so much exaggeration.
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u/thistle-11 Aug 31 '26
tbh i would take this down before olivia / her team can spin this into something else, just send it to the harvard admissions office or if you really wanted email other groups that have given her awards like forbes, elf, diana award, etc. so that they're aware of the situation
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u/gaussx Aug 31 '26
I agree. Send it to Harvard. No one else here is so invested to investigate this and if we did, what are we gonna do?
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u/Late-Variation3383 Aug 31 '26
Absolutely not. The receipts are there with Olivia's own words which contracts or puts legitimately into question her claims. And how does privately submitting this somewhere help others who may hire her or look up to her?
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u/thistle-11 Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
i definitely agree that it puts her own claims into question which is why it merits further investigation. people have been kicked out of their schools for lying on their application, and idk what the process is like for their other orgs but they could put out some sort of statement or rescind their award.
you could keep this thread up too but the point i'm trying to make is just that you'll probably create more of the impact you're hoping for if you reach out to the organizations that are fueling her ability to still claim legitimacy. like if she can't start every video with "harvard student, forbes 30 u 30, etc. etc." her entire brand is gone dykwim? that is the only way to truly force her to take accountability and stop profiting off of young people's anxiety to do so much and compare themselves to an unfair standard.
imo that will give much more credibility to this situation than this being spun into just crazy reddit conspiracy theorists trolling a woman of color out of spite. for the record, i don't believe that this is the reason why you did this investigation (not to mention there are so many female POC creators that are nonprofit founders and make content around similar topics that aren't under fire bc they are genuine and honest about their background), and i strongly believe in holding people accountable for the claims they make ESPECIALLY if their entire persona only focused on their accomplishments and showing off their seemingly perfect life
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u/Connect_Comedian_714 Aug 31 '26
from how deeply u researched into olivia's claims, it sounds like you'd like to see her address these discrepancies in her story. Sending your research to harvard would force her to provide more proof that she is infact not lying about all her accomplishments, or take accountability for stretching the truth. Why would u not send ur research to harvard
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u/Deep_Impress6964 Sep 05 '26
what do the harvard admissions office do in such a situation? is there any precedent?
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u/thistle-11 Sep 05 '26
she can get kicked out if they truly find deception in her application
like i think her common app essay referenced living in a "cramped 1 bedroom apartment" so if that hypothetically was made up it could be a problem
but i'm not sure where they draw the line between complete falsification and a bit of embellishment
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u/Historical-Star1989 Sep 05 '26
In one of her pinned videos that references her cramped living space, the apartment is clearly in China. So it's very possible her grandparents' home in China is a cramped living space, she visited them over the summer, and spun that into "I lived in a one bedroom apartment." But also I don't think Harvard could ask for a record of every single place she's lived, that would be an invasion of privacy.
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u/NarrowCauliflower9 Sep 09 '26
That's way beyond an embellishment, because it goes far beyond how any reasonable person would interpret it. That's like saying "I went to Harvard," having only went on a tour. It is technically true, but so obviously intended to mean "I attended Harvard"that it's basically as if the person said the latter statement (lied). She lived in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the NE. She lied.
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u/sixxnine42 23d ago
So essentially a pampered kid going on poverty tourism claiming to be impoverished?
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u/sixxnine42 23d ago
The biggest problem now is, in acknowledging this Harvard admissions looks like idiots. And BIG-H CANNOT AFFORD TO LOOK LIKE IDIOTS 😁. So Harvard admissions has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.Even all those orgs who have given her those awards have vested interest in keeping the truth hidden. So, the only hope is viral backlash on forums like this. God only knows how many Olivia Zhangs are out there.
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u/laffytaffy55 Sep 01 '26
Thanks for doing this. As someone who didn't grow up with a lot, it enrages me when people cosplay as poor to gain advantages in life they never deserved or for public pity.
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u/Late-Variation3383 Sep 05 '26
UPDATE:
This story was picked up by Gazette NYC here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc3omKJOa8P/
Olivia gave them this response: "u/oliviazhangofficial disputes the allegations, saying she never claimed to be first-generation or FGLI, that her family came to the U.S. with little and worked to build financial stability, and that she has publicly acknowledged her privilege. She also maintains that Cancer Kids First’s impact and behind-the-scenes work have been documented by her and her team." It is also her Oliviazhangofficial page which says, "I have made the mistake of not being specific in my background when I say that I am the first in my family to go to undergrad in the United States because it was in the heat of the moment and I did not say the full sentence, which I think caused this...I never claimed to be first gen or FGLI."
I would like someone to message BOTH Olivia's social media and GazetteNYC so that my counter AND proof is posted along side her newest claims which completely contradict her prior exact quotes.
OLIVIA: You stated in response to GazetteNYC's post that you "never claimed to be first-generation or FGLI"
That is exactly what you claimed here: https://www.tiktok.com/@livviazhang/video/7678746618455248158 as well as other places: "I am the first in my family to go to undergrad." (direct quote from 8/27/26)
You contradicted that in this article where you are quoted that your mom "was the first one in her family to graduate high school, then college." https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/started-cancer-nonprofit-14-losing-131601676.html (direct quote dated 3/25/26). Similarly, you say in this podcast: https://infatuasian.podbean.com/e/ep-219-olivia-zhang-harvard-junior-grew-up-on-food-stamps%E2%80%94now-she-s-a-forbes-30-under-30/ at minute 6:13 you say your mom "struggled a lot kind of make it out of high school like get into college."
Also, others have pointed out that for your father to get an MBA from Georgetown, he would have had to have had a college degree first: https://msb.georgetown.edu/mba/application-components/#transcripts (quoting: "You are required to hold a four-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university or an equivalent degree from a foreign country. To complete your application, you must upload unofficial transcripts for all academic coursework you have taken directly into the online application.")
As for being low income, you have claimed that many, many times - two of them are:
A. In this link https://www.tiktok.com/@livviazhang/video/7449918436387409194 you said in the second scene (quote): "BEFORE: I grew up on food stamps, donated clothes and in a one bedroom apartment." While that language posts on the screen at the beginning of the video, it shows a run down messy room which is clearly picked by you to be seen with those words on the screen to make the viewer believe you grew up like that. In reality, that is NOT and could NOT be a room where you grew up. I know this because it has a porcelain toilet built into the floor like they use in China, not America and you were raised in America. (Just Google "Chinese toilet built into the floor" and everyone will see exactly what I am talking about). The only reason to make that post, give that quote and those that photo is to tell people you grew up incredibly poor, on food stamps, and in conditions shown in that photograph - all of which you handpicked to post.
B. On LinkedIn in 2025 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/olivia-zhang-a792b8229_lorealpartner-lorealwomenofworth-girlboss-activity-7404170268635451392-COG2 you said, "When you grow up on food stamps, you don’t picture yourself on a red carpet surrounded by some of the most powerful women in the world.”
While you may not have used the term FGLI, you absolutely:
- used the language "first in my family to go to undergrad" and you knew what people would interpret this to mean, which is that you have two uneducated parents. In reality, you not only have highly educated parents, but your own quotes from the link above you said your mother graduated from college.
- used the language "grew up on food stamps, donated clothes, and in a one bedroom apartment" to let people know you were low income. You'd agree wouldn't you that you don't go on food stamps unless you are low income.
Both of these equate to you claiming FGLI but in reality your father worked full time when you were 7 months old and in order to be able to afford a million dollar home when you were 4, your parents needed to have saved for a down payment (likely around $200,000 at least) + qualify for a mortgage of hundreds of thousands based on their high incomes.
Also, where is the response to all of the other allegations: your grandpa (who lived in China) didn't and couldn't raise you because you lived in America and simply visited him on occasion. A teacher did not raise you because you were in lots of after school activities (paid for by your parents) but rather were simply in an after school extra curricular with lots of other kids enrolled in the same activity. What was the teacher's name? What about the nonprofit claims? Why pick and choose what you're responding to?
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u/RealisticSpeaker6368 Sep 01 '26
The nonprofit bullshit is literally such a common occurrence among people admitted to top schools that I’m not even that upset about it. Thousands have already lied. But the first-gen claim and the lie that she’s low-income definitely piss me off. What has the world come to that people lie about having uneducated parents and a low-income upbringing? If she was really low-income and on food stamps, she wouldn’t have been able to participate in all those extracurriculars she said her parents put her and her sister in. Sports, singing, etc., cost money. I would know because I literally had to quit so many private lessons and sports in my childhood when my parents lost their jobs and got evicted. That story isn’t adding up. But neither are the stories of the thousands who have already been admitted and graduated. I don’t honestly know even one person who didn’t exaggerate their situations. It really fucking sucks, but what can we expect? Colleges like the Ivies have pushed our generation toward this madness and mental illness. I hate the game, not the players. That’s why I’m trying not to give a fuck about these elitist Ivies anymore. It’s a stupid fucking game that’s impossible for many to beat without compromising their morals. And then there’s the sheer shame that actual first-gen Americans with uneducated parents carry. Parents who worked so hard that you’d get picked up late at night, and cops had to show up because your school couldn’t keep you there all night. How humiliating and absolutely awful it is to be from those demographics, and how simultaneously running a huge nonprofit like that just doesn’t make much sense to me. But I see she says there was a financial turnaround for her family, so I don’t know. I just don’t get it. Maybe I just don’t have that dog in me. It’s sad. I don’t like when people lie about those things because these factors have personally made my life a living hell, and still do, in so many ways. They made me think I’d end up like nothing, dirt poor with nothing to live for, because I couldn’t even afford anything and had to work myself to the bone. There are different variations of this, but I should probably just shut the fuck up. If what you say is true, then it’s quite depressing. I hate this game.
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u/Hungry_Abroad9699 Sep 03 '26
Yeah I think using the term food stamps is especially galling because that has very specific societal implications of where your family stands. And a true food stamps to Harvard story would be…not McLean BA with wonderful family resources supporting you.
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u/MetalAdept7752 Sep 03 '26
THIS. If she was on food stamps at one point as an infant while her parents were in school she is MILKING that HARD. She knows the socital implications of that statement.
It's like saying "I grew up with nothing" because when you were two months old, your parents were 500k in debt for medical school, but by the time you were 2, they were making BANK as doctors. If you live your whole life in luxury, its so dishonest
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u/Hungry_Abroad9699 Sep 03 '26
This is actually me. My mother was a doctor. Did we struggle at first? Yes. Did she also make millions after that? Also yes. And I was given the opportunities that came with.
Man, I should have milked that first part!
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u/MetalAdept7752 Sep 04 '26
You are a good person for not. Karma will run its course
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u/Hungry_Abroad9699 Sep 04 '26
I actually think that will happen to her. The consulting agencies she’s at, a significant part of moving up is being likable and if your behavior incurs this level of antipathy…
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u/Minectz Sep 01 '26
This might be the best reddit post I've ever seen, I tip my hat off to u man thank u for exposing this insufferable larping fraud
Keep this post up on reddit, but please submit this to Forbes and Harvard as well. They need to know
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u/Dangerous-Leader-779 Sep 01 '26
People here shocked by this or defending her are outing themselves as morons.
Omg she is lying to make money and get clicks? Who couldn’t thought?!?!
Actual justice would be Harvard taking action. But they won’t, because that means admitting how duped they were and looks poorly on their admissions groups.
Anyone still supporting her after all this…you’re part of the problem.
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u/GrandPlantain3613 Sep 09 '26
Interesting story, when I was in high school I was quite inspired by Cancer Kids First and wanted to join virtually. I was 13/14 at the time (about 2 years younger than Olivia). I did one (1) service hour by joining a zoom with a child with cancer that she had been advertising. That was such a weird experience. I joined the call and it was just a tiny 5 year old boy and like 40/50 high school and college aged kids sitting there staring at him from their computers and waiting for their turn to ask a question, so they can check off a service hour claiming they helped a kid with cancer. It was so awful and exploitative! I sat and smiled at the camera for about 5 minutes before leaving the call. I felt so bad for the child, and for the parents who signed him up probably thinking it would be fun for him (though they were nowhere to be seen in the call, it was just the child). I haven't even told anyone this because though I was young I just feel so stupid for even joining that call thinking it was "community service". Pure exploitation, such a shame.
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u/noctilusent Aug 31 '26
if you truly believe what you posted then report it to harvard and stop posting it in here lol
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u/MetalAdept7752 Aug 31 '26
I mean fwiw, she uses her story to market her social media page and her book which she claims is a #1 Amazon Bestseller. I do think people who follow her and buy her books should be informed if they are marketed on a fraudulent basis.
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u/Swumpting Aug 31 '26
I ain't reading all that. im happy for you tho, or sorry that happened.
If you spent this much time preparing for college, you'd get into whatever school you wanted.
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u/MetalAdept7752 Sep 06 '26
My guess is if she ever does respond it might just be something general like "These are all lies and they're all jealous toxic Redditors." It annoys me that so far her only defense has been saying "There's nothing I can do if people want to believe rumors and lies on Reddit"
This post is not some Reddit Rando starting rumors with no evidence. Someone took the time to compare her statements over time. They compared her potrayal of her low income background against public records of when her home was purchased and for how much. The compared her statements about being first gen to her parents' linkedin pages. These are substantiated contradictions that go against the narrative she long perprtuated
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u/Late-Variation3383 Sep 06 '26
This is it. Saying, "If you believe a Reddit post, it says more about you than me..." makes no sense when the Reddit post is literally Olivia's own contradictory words and posts.
She also says her team has all the documentation on CKF. This is good news for her and it should be very easy for her to immediately provide documentation proving her claims.
She is directly and indirectly messaging people/organizations saying reposting about this is hurting her and her reputation and is trying to silence this discourse.
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u/ApprehensiveCod4506 Sep 08 '26
Yeah shes threatening lawsuits for even speaking out about this
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u/Healthy_Teaching_328 Sep 08 '26
Uh where bro
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u/ApprehensiveCod4506 Sep 08 '26
Instagram, TikTok, Reddit. They’re all frivolous though, you’d think a Harvard student knows better
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u/Kitchen_Archer5413 Sep 08 '26 edited Sep 08 '26
Definitely can dispute the food stamps and living in one bedroom part bc I have mutuals with her growing up and had a close friend live in her neighborhood. She’s just trying to fit that Asian-American-workaholic-came-from-nothing aesthetic. She’s trying so hard because it’s trending and now she’s back peddling on claims like being first gen and things. And I can tell you ALOT of people from McLean highschool, which by the ways it ranked one of the wealthiest areas in the USA and top public high schools in the US, they do this stuff to get into ivies. Everything seems so ingenious. If she’s using her “poor” background and tough upbringing to get her Forbes 30 under 30 that’s pretty unethical and should be grounds for her nomination to be removed. Very upsetting to see that this is how what could’ve been a success story is overshadowed by her lies.
I think what really makes me upset is that she’s showing off buying things, when someone who truly went through the trauma of having food stamps and living in a one bedroom apartment would never go and make those purchases so frivolously. And I’m not saying that she can’t use her money the way she wants to use it, but you can tell when someone grew up with money available to them and money and someone who didn’t have money growing up and she’s trying to portray someone who doesn’t have money growing up.
It’s giving over privileged but wanting to come from poverty
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u/No_Dare_9944 Aug 31 '26
Bro just report her to her alma mater and stop posting about her. You’re making your case weaker coming off as a jealous stalker. Universities do listen to things like that if there’s proof.
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u/Hungry_Abroad9699 Sep 03 '26
Think you are missing the point. He is telling people on her audience. She’s about done with Harvard atp.
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u/No_Dare_9944 Sep 03 '26
I mean they can officially investigate her even if she graduated. Then they issue a statement that carries more weight than OP
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u/Hungry_Abroad9699 Sep 03 '26
I kind of doubt Harvard cares that much. It would make them look bad. Also, she is acting as a free brand ambassador for them. They know full well what she is doing. Her work helps them. She’s almost like an employee.
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u/Gr_tellinggthrtruthh Sep 09 '26
I knew she was lying from the get go- go look at her room in her college acceptance video, it’s massive. I used to follow her back in 2023-2024 for her study content, however I began to notice that she appeared to be more wealthy (hence the style of her home in her videos with her parents and the way her mother presents herself). Also, she went to McLean High School, come on people.
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u/Vast-Ad-6761 Sep 09 '26
at this point it seems like she's cooked and the fallout is gonna be massive.
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u/AdBoth2468 Aug 31 '26
I mean is it ever this deep?? But if that’s all true then that’s pretty crazy
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u/Late-Variation3383 Sep 04 '26
In 5 days my post has close to 36,000 views and was just picked up by https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc3omKJOa8P/ [NYC Gazette]
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u/Vast-Ad-6761 Sep 04 '26
my guy you needa email harvard leadership(president, provost and board of overseers and harvard ad board and harvard corp dean of admissions and fincial aid) email the crimson and harvard gazette as well and forbes leadership (Forbes 30u30 team and ceo) same with diana award. All this journalist shit doesn't force the outcome we need. If we really want to demolish her credibility we need institutional pressure. An article don't do shit. an email with a request for investigation backed with receipts to a leader of institutional power does.
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u/Historical-Star1989 Sep 05 '26
did you see brandon's (tineocollegeprep) post about olivia & the whole situation? lmfao had me giggling the way he was defending her in every single comment, but he ended up deleting the whole post. i was going to comment but ultimately decided it was a waste of time.
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Sep 04 '26
[deleted]
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u/PerfectBullfrog5024 Sep 04 '26
i concur. this is a matter than harvard and harvard’s frauds sectors ought to consider
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u/Alert-Crew-4518 Sep 05 '26
she just commented on the post
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u/Opposite-Composer-87 Sep 05 '26
where i cant see, what she say?
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u/Alert-Crew-4518 Sep 05 '26
"I want to publicly say that I did not fabricate my harvard college application and it is so disheartening to me to see people spread a Reddit post as truth. I have made the mistake of not being specific in my background when I say that I am the first of my family to go to undergrad in the United States because it was in the heat at the moment and I did not say the full sentence, which I think is what has caused this. But i am human and Moving forward, I will 1000% be more specific in what I say, but I never claimed to be first gen or FGLI. my family really did come here with nothing like a lot of immigrants do and worked their asses off to achieve financial stability. I have acknowledged my privilege so many times because I really did have the best high school experience. I have also explained and shown behind the scenes work of my nonprofit, as has my team, and it is very frustrating that people refuse to acknowledge something like this is possible to achieve."
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u/Historical-Star1989 Sep 05 '26
"I did not fabricate my harvard college application" no babe we know because harvard asks for your parents' education information. we're just talking about you lying to your followers, most of whom are impressionable 14 year olds. she's more worried about the backlash from harvard than duping her customers.
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u/MetalAdept7752 Sep 06 '26
Notice how she only says she did not fabricate her harvard application and NOT that she did not lie on her Tiktok? For someone who normally posts multiple times a day, she had been SILENT. she went from saying she would make a video with receipts to deleting all those comments. My guess is that she's realizing she cannot address the specific allegations (e.g. that she was on food stamps and for how long, when and for what price her parents bought her home) because she knows the truth is a bad look for her.
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u/Historical-Star1989 Sep 06 '26
i noticed that too omfg. i’m surprised she’s not trying to gaslight her audience with “i never said ____”
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u/Just_Green_9867 Sep 04 '26
“Raised by a teacher “, yes my daughter at daycare was raised by teachers as well 😭
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u/Outrageous-Owl1776 Sep 09 '26
might have well say that they were close to homelessness atp (their city has homeless people)
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u/hard_pillar_of_truth Aug 31 '26
Feels like an exclusive "Law & Order" episode.
I don't know what to think, but dishonesty never pays.
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u/QuestionAnxious2581 Aug 31 '26
While this is all prob true, none of it is enough to have Harvard look at more. Harvard would look at it if she didn't create the nonprofit (she did) or if she did soemthing like plagiarize (in this case she hasn't). The other stuff are embellishments that are hard to prove or disprove.
She also probs works hard but her posts make her super unlikeable. Trying to be the girl who has it all, parties hard, gets good grades, dresses like she's someone who parties hard, etc. It makes her easy to dislike a lot. She will also one day look back at some of her posts and cringe hard. Right now her posts just make her come off as foolish, naive and super unlikeable. But none of this means Harvard should take a second look at her credentials.
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u/Medical_Active_5824 Sep 01 '26
yeah unfortunately a lot of people exaggerate on their applications unless they are out right lying harvard won’t care
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u/Vast-Ad-6761 Sep 04 '26
OP is laying out the info on a platter. OP please put all information in a google drive and release here.
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Sep 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/jaeskiiz Sep 05 '26
what do you think lol it says more about college admissions than anything where kids have to solely make non profits just to get into college its bull
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u/OutrageousProblem777 Sep 03 '26
I always knew something was super fishy about her, and she always gave very disingenuous vibes with a fake sense of charisma that people ( for whatever reason) tend to eat up. I think if you genuinely believe she is fabricating huge chunks of her story, it's worth emailing all these things to Harvard. Enough rich people are scamming their way around while acting like they're working toward the greater good; we don't need any more.
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u/Financial_Insect649 Sep 05 '26
I’m surprised that people make up huge statistics when it’s easy to disprove. Does none of the awards/organisations check the receipts?
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u/Jaded_Quantity1377 Sep 05 '26
why is no one talking ab her sisters tiktoks lol
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u/QuestionAnxious2581 Sep 07 '26
or her sister's nonprofit that she made for her college apps? Modeled straight off of olivia's.
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u/Few-Recognition2448 Sep 07 '26
To the people still claiming that she just “misspoke” about being first gen: if she actually did, and she was a honest person, she would have cleared that up long ago. But she didn’t. She built her brand off of being “first gen” and low income, she knew what she was doing- she isn’t an idiot
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u/Optimal-Hair-7888 27d ago
I’m surprised no one called out the first gen claim because in her viral college reaction video she said one of her parents got mba from Georgetown!!
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u/Few-Flatworm-871 Sep 07 '26
Also if anyone paid attention to the clips she kept showing of her “one bed room apartment” that she used to live in with her family, i’m pretty sure it’s fake. they didn’t live in that environment because in the U.S. we don’t have squatting toilets that’s built into the floor. i’m pretty sure that when she visited china prior, she saw a really run down apartment and decided to take videos of it.
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u/soyeahiknow Sep 08 '26
Oh wow she didn't graduate yet from Harvard. These people are delusional. I would have kept my head down if I know i lied that much. Her dad got a MBA from GeorgeTown and she claimed to be 1st gen? That's psycho behavior.
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u/Small_Cow5712 Sep 08 '26
This is important. I hope she doesn’t fabricate similar narratives for graduate school. However, they tend to be better at seeing through a flashy yet exaggerated, low impact resume like hers.
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u/daddysgirlforeveir Sep 08 '26
OK now I understand why she’s been going so hard trying to defend herself because she’s getting defensive. It’s because she did lie. Over the past couple days I’ve been watching her videos and not gonna lie ive been feeling a little gaslit. My interpretation of the story was she was someone who just followed her that she was first gen that she had grown up with nothing & all of the things that she said I know for a fact that she had talked about her mom not being able to help her.
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u/Late-Variation3383 Sep 09 '26
Yes, lots of skipping over the real truth versus her direct statements + photographs and what story she had spun about her upbringing.
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u/VerySeriousBiz Sep 09 '26
thanks to this girl we found a new type of first gen college student. Super underserved demographic. Someone start a scholarship fund ASAP!! No undergrad degree at all: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates. Their kids are first gen. No US undergrad degree: the CEOs of Google and Microsoft. Their kids are first gen too.
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u/Medical_Active_5824 Sep 09 '26
Lol there are people who get phDs in like liberal arts or whatever in China because its sort of encouraged there. I know people with parents like this who grew up poor. But yeah thats just some nuance either way shes not poor nor first gen
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u/rocru6789 Sep 09 '26
sadly it seems like it’s all quiet on the happening front hopefully something actually happens though
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u/Late-Variation3383 Sep 11 '26
Hello MODS: It has been 3 days since I posted my last post with back up links. Please let it pass through and post it here. This is very relevant to high schoolers applying to college because it serves as a warning as to not lying; it also lets other college and high school students know that the standard they were looking up to was neither realistic nor based on reality. Thank you.
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u/sixxnine42 22d ago
How come at Universities that are so strict on plagiarism/cheating that one misattributed sentence can get you kicked out, but outright lies/cheating on applications get a free pass not even an investigation? Is it because kicking out a student for plagiarism/cheating is just on the student, but a case like Olivia Zhang's makes the Harvard look bad. But leaving Olivia Zhang's of today uninvestigated, risks creating Elizabeth Holmeses and Bernie Madoffs of tomorrow. In addition to making the whole University admissions system more unfair for everyone.
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u/thistle-11 17d ago
she strikes again!!
in her latest display of narcissism, olivia zhang has created a new (very obviously vibecoded / AI-written) platform that she's advertising on her social media. the best part? she's cloutchasing by taking advantage of the very justified outrage around the disgusting cornell rape case... look at how the bio and background victimizes herself: https://notyouproject.org/#/
when will this end? this has truly reached new heights of taking advantage of people's vulnerability and anxiety to position yourself as a "social impact leader" for clout. bffr.
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u/Costal_Signals Aug 31 '26
This is like crazy stalker level stuff, you need to get offline for a minute
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u/Either-Tap-1633 Sep 02 '26
Maybe she needs to get offline if her aforementioned claims are so contradictory
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u/jsh_ Aug 31 '26
dude I'm ngl please find something else to do with your time. even if everything you said is true, this post is unhinged and obsessed
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u/QuestionAnxious2581 Sep 02 '26
again, I'll say her posts are foolish, naive and make her super unlikeable, but nothing wrong about it even if she embellished. She was prob advised to do a bunch of new posts about harvard life at large to quickly spin the chatter away...less about herself and more about harvard life.
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u/Adventurous_Bison_61 Sep 03 '26
This says a lot about you because there is something wrong about it. Very wrong.
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u/QuestionAnxious2581 Sep 03 '26 edited Sep 03 '26
Nope. She didn't plagiarize, didn't make up the nonprofit as far as we know. She hasn't made up awards that she hasn't received or falsified grades or scores. For all we know she didn't misrepresent herself as first gen in her apps. None of this is anything harvard will investigate unless it's something serious like that. She's telling a story, which is exactly what colleges encourage students to do in their apps. Rather than say "I created a non profit to put on my college apps," which likely why she created the nonprofit, she is telling a story to connect everything.
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u/Adventurous_Bison_61 Sep 03 '26
Yes or no: has she lied about her upbringing?
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u/QuestionAnxious2581 Sep 03 '26
It's all about framing. Harvard's not going to care. If you turn up something about falsifying actual records then yes, harvard will care. This stuff? no they won't care. She may have not even lied about her upbringing in the apps. Assuming she would have submitted fafsa info too
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u/Adventurous_Bison_61 Sep 03 '26
Did she lie or not? No one is asking if Harvard cares.
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u/QuestionAnxious2581 Sep 03 '26
Did she maybe live with her grandpa while she was in china? Possibly, you don't know. Or it's likely that the grandfather visited often and babysat her a lot. Also quite possible that because he was here, he collected food stamps and gave it to the family. Did she spend a lot of time with the teacher? Possibly though no one will really be able to confirm the quality of time or relationship-you can only intuit and make an educated guess. And while what you uncovered may be true, it's all about framing and she did it well.
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u/Adventurous_Bison_61 Sep 03 '26
No, she did not frame it well. She lied. You can excuse it and water it down all you want. A pig dressed up in lipstick is still a pig. Her lies will
always be lies. Her parents were working full time in the US before she was 1. She was raised in the US, not China.
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u/enxivi-8927 Sep 10 '26
So I just saw this thread; did you email Harvard's office? Are there any updates? I am highly interested with your proof/argument
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u/Gwgymnast 15h ago
Based on my own experience trying to connect with her charity, I have found her approach to be inconsistent with the way she publicly presents herself as someone passionate about supporting other young nonprofit leaders.
I am involved with another national nonprofit as a lead intern whose mission closely aligns with Olivia’s organization. Like hers, it was founded by a young person and focuses on supporting sick children. Over a span of year and a half, we made several attempts to connect with her and her organization for different reasons, and the lack of response was surprising including regarding a matter that involved her own chapters.
Initially, we reached out through her charity’s Instagram to introduce ourselves and ask if they'd be open to connecting via email or phone, as we wanted to get some advice/ learn more about their process for receiving referrals for children with cancer they support. At the time, our organization was expanding its individual patient support program beyond hospital-wide distributions, and was curious how they navigated this, whether through hospital Child Life departments, independent referral processes, or other methods. Other nonprofits we know were curious on this too.
At the time, our organization was expanding its individual patient support program beyond hospital-wide distributions, and we were trying to understand how other organizations navigated referrals, whether through hospital Child Life departments, independent referral processes, or other channels. Typically, donations are given to child life or volunteer services who then distribute them but it appears her org distributes directly to kids (I could be wrong).
At the time, we also had a specific child with cancer in mind whom we hoped her organization might be willing to support too. Unfortunately, the organization’s general email address never responded.
Seperately, our founder emailed her after followers suggested that we reach out. The message was intended to establish a connection between two youth-founded, national nonprofits with closely aligned missions and explore whether there might be opportunities to support one another. She asked if Olivia would be open for a brief chat to give some advice on the above. We received no response to those emails either.
Months later, we reached out again because several school chapters of her organization had contacted us about hosting events for our nonprofit and earning verified service hours through us. Since these were chapters of her organization, we felt it was appropriate to contact her org first, both as a courtesy and to ensure that they allowed that (many chapters don't allow other orgs to verify service hours for chapter events). We wanted to make sure we were handling the situation appropriately before confirming that we could verify the students’ service hours. The students were unsure and said they did not have a direct contact.
Again, neither she nor the organization’s general email responded, including after a follow-up. Because the students were waiting for an answer, we eventually contacted the organization through Instagram directly. After two follow-ups, we finally received a response along the lines of, “I think the chapters can do whatever they want,” followed by a link to her TikTok.
I found that response, particularly after the repeated attempts to communicate, highly unusual and disappointing. Even if she did not have time to engage in a conversation or was not interested in supporting another charity, a brief response would have been sufficient. Instead, we were left trying to navigate the situation ourselves while students waited for an answer.
Throughout my time working with a youth-founded nonprofit, I have connected with numerous other young nonprofit leaders. In my experience, there is a genuine sense of community among many of these organizations. We exchange ideas, ask one another questions, share lessons learned, and look for ways to support each other’s missions. Even when collaboration is not possible, there is generally a basic level of professional courtesy and mutual respect. In the three years I have been involved, I have not encountered another youth-founded organization that was consistently unresponsive across multiple attempts to connect.
I want to be fair in acknowledging that founding a nonprofit as a teenager requires initiative and a desire to make a difference. I do not doubt that she has some passion for her mission. However, based on my experience, I have found a disconnect between her public messaging about supporting young nonprofit leaders and the way she has responded.
We occasionally receive emails or calls from high school student students seeking to start their own charity who want advice. Our founder always helps and calls them. In one case, they mentioned reaching out to Olivia and said she failed to reply
Unrelated, I also have some reservations about the way she presents information about starting a nonprofit in her one of the brief tiktoks I saw. I absolutely believe that young people can successfully establish nonprofits and that teenagers should be encouraged to pursue ideas that make a difference. However, having worked closely with a youth-founded nonprofit, I know that establishing and operating a legitimate 501(c)(3) involves more complexity than her explanations sometimes convey. I think that there's a lot more she could add to those videos that would really be useful for anyone seeking to start a charity. Even in regards to inception process--yet that might not be as viral format.
I think her content could be much more valuable to aspiring young founders if it explained those realities in greater detail, including the ongoing responsibilities involved in running a nonprofit. Encouraging young people to pursue charitable work is important, but providing an accurate picture of what that work entails is equally important if we want to set them up for success. Particularly regarding the transition for keeping a charity going after high school.
Ultimately, I can appreciate the initiative it takes to start a charity at a young age while still questioning whether her public emphasis on empowering other young founders is reflected in how she engages with them in practice.
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u/Late-Variation3383 13h ago
I appreciate these details. I think it was crystal clear that her claim that she wrote her book because so many were asking for help is translated to: I want to use my voice to charge others for information. Her organization was also not established as "youth run" - initial directors include both parents, a lawyer, and a fourth adult. She was not up all night figuring everything out unbeknownst to her parents because her parents were on the board (inc. her mom who works at a nonprofit and touts that she knows how to build one up).
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u/PhilosophyBeLyin Aug 31 '26
so many people blatantly lie on college apps. if her story makes you this mad, welcome to the real world ??? I’m not defending her, but for the sake of your mental health, please relax and channel this energy into something more productive than stalking people.
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u/thistle-11 Aug 31 '26
but tbh it's so much deeper rooted than lying on college apps -- like OP mentions, this is also wording used across all of her influencer content, the awards she's won, selling her book, basically all of her career. it's instilling fear and anxiety into hundreds of thousands of high schoolers who have likely developed an inferiority complex because of this. targeting olivia alone will not singlehandedly vanquish the frankly insane culture around college admissions and competition at a young age especially for those from immigrant backgrounds, but i do believe that enforcing transparency and accountability around how one's background supports them in certain endeavors is crucial.
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u/laffytaffy55 Sep 01 '26
I agree with you. If she just lay low, no one would care. It's because she's profiting off of a fake story and giving real FGLI kids unrealistic hope that some of us feel very uncomfortable about.
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u/Any-Crew2914 Sep 01 '26
not only, but also 2nd gen immigrants. the videos she makes talking about how shes giving back so young when her parents r rich af like girl bye
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u/whynotwhybother Sep 05 '26
No literally 😭 making other poor high school and college students feel bad about not retiring their parents
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Aug 31 '26
[deleted]
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u/Late-Variation3383 Aug 31 '26
How can it be both ways? To be accountable for your lies, you need proof. That is precisely what she claimed on her Instagram defense: where is the proof. Do you want people accountable for lies or do you want no background checks/no proof/no accountability?
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u/MeasurementTop2885 Aug 31 '26
You have a problem. This has NOTHING to do with Applying to College. At this point, you should send this to Harvard and wait to hear back either complete silence or a subpoena from her legal team.
What is motivating these hours of work investigating this girl and her family? Yes she may have engaged in puffery. Just like Hilaria Baldwin “grew up in Spain” and “forgets English words”?
This weird online obsession is a scary look. Most people here have never heard of Olivia Zhang. Now they know she’s some Harvard girl with an online troll / person who is stalking her entire family.
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u/Adventurous_Bison_61 Aug 31 '26
Except this could save someone from paying for her college app services, to be a speaker, to help create a nonprofit, to hire her, to give her an award. I believe in trying to unveil this for the good of others. If you don’t see value in that, that’s ok.
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u/MeasurementTop2885 Aug 31 '26
You need to stay in your lane, bud. This obsession reads like.. well an obsession.
Which does nothing other than publicize this girl because your “research” reads a bit scary
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u/Particular_Yam4498 Aug 31 '26
Honestly, I agree with you to an extent. But as a junior in high school who's seen her videos and always feels so behind and gets anxiety and panic because of it, I have to admit that these kind of people who conduct such verifiable research genuinely help alleviate our worries. This person will not cause her any harm- they are, in my opinion, just trying to make a bunch of scared teenagers aware that this person everyone idolises and compares themselves too is just a curated persona. Its terrifying to see someone achieve stuff to this level when you cannot even dream of those kind of opportunities realistically, and knowing that its a sham helps you set your sights on reality
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u/MeasurementTop2885 Aug 31 '26
First of all, you kinda sound like OP on a different account defending and justifying themself.
Substantively, the issue is that any college counselor may have similar exaggerations, and whether they do or not bears no direct relationship to the quality of their input.
If you want clarity, and are scared, that is the scary part. That you can pay 300k for Solomon consulting or 10k to Pham (who has no credentials other than having attended Harvard (not a credential)) or get some random friend to read your essay and it’s a genuine tossup whether one or the other will give you “better”’advice.
The bottom line is that most standard advice is common sense and students have very little control over outcomes other than maximizing grades, scores, staying busy with their activities and showing some degree of focus.
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u/Adventurous_Bison_61 Aug 31 '26
I disagree. There is a difference between slight exaggerations and saying you are first generation, low income, and had no help along the way. It is even worse when you not only claim it but publicize it repeatedly and based on that it wins awards and money and a spot at a top school.
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u/MeasurementTop2885 Aug 31 '26
And the fact that you are replying to a conversation with "Particular_Yam" again makes it really seem like that is just you under a side account.
Puffery is a continuum. Do I think Hilaria's spanish accent is weird as someone who attended primary and secondary school in the USA? Yes. Do I think Roberty Irvine's saying he was a"white house chef" is likely untrue or at best an exaggeration, yes. Marketing materials are... marketing.
For God's sake. If her family for even a short while needed food stamps, it is kinda gross for you to atomize that to some kind of weird analysis.
You should concentrate your energy on building your own awards and money. Life is not fair, and the kinds of puffery you're so upset about is the least of it.
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Aug 31 '26
[deleted]
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u/MeasurementTop2885 Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
Again it is a question of degree. At what point does scrutinizing how long someone’s family was on food stamps become CRUEL and not a “PSA”. And after how many 10,000 word posts does a critique become a vendetta. This is the third in one week.
If someone checks the home addresses of all the students in a school district by following kids home to make sure they live in the district, that’s creepy but fringe defensible. If they only follow the asian kids home, that’s something else. And if they only follow one kid home, well that’s probably harassment. It’s a question of selectivity.
For goodness sakes we’re talking about someone who at the age of 19 was organizing and directing hundreds of thousands of dollars to kids with cancer. Sure she probably piggybacked on a lot of kids looking for service “for college”, but that’s not really on her, and at some point the kids with cancer got their money, the organization became meaningful, and that shows a level of execution that matters.
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u/Particular_Yam4498 Sep 01 '26
If it came off to you that I'm OP on a diff account, idk what to say about that. There's nothing I can do to prove it otherwise.
When I said scared, I didn't mean it in the 'pay 300k for essay reading' services way. Social media is already a trap. We compare ourselves all the time. When someone gets into Harvard and its your dream school, you will invariably check the account of someone whose entire online persona is that. You will obviously compare your ecs to hers, your achievements to hers. Its a human instinct.
Maybe OP did go overboard. It must've taken serious time, effort and energy to research this much ab some influencer who could care less and is raking in money and opportunities. The chances that this post ever reaches her or any other organization is extremely low.
All I'm saying is that on a personal level, I appreciate knowing that I'm not too far behind just because I don't have a worldwide non-profit while barely surviving.
I understand that whatever OP wrote would seem like a privacy breach, but I will agree that it was reassuring1
u/MeasurementTop2885 Sep 01 '26
Unfortunately, there is little ahead or behind for Harvard. Legacy, Donor status, Athletic recruitment, Child of Employee. - or a combination of these are probably the most "ahead" things.
Aside from this, the highest GPA possible with the highest SAT / ACT possible is another "ahead" move.
It's not that "comparison is the thief of joy" or anything like that. It's that these colleges are looking for people to fill certain roles. Like casting a play not winning a race. In that way, comparing your activities to someone else's is almost never going to result in meaningful information.
Spending enormous time tearing down someone (especially someone whose brand is rooted in service) is just bad. Gen X,Y,Z,Alpha, Whatever bad. When it's 10,000 words and includes a deep dive into the person's family, that crosses a lot of social boundaries that are there for a reason.
What we're seeing here is pathology. And it's not Olivia whatever her last name is.
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u/Adventurous_Bison_61 Aug 31 '26
Do you think most of the responders feel this way or feel grateful this is being exposed with links?
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u/MeasurementTop2885 Aug 31 '26
It’s more about you, your personal balance and choices.
After 10,000 words it’s less “informational” and more “what is motivating this person to do this”.
People puff their resumes. That story is out there. Especially for people selling their story to drum up business. If that upsets you to write treatises and spend hundreds of your life hours researching them and their families, you are going to be a very busy and lonely person.
I had no idea who Olivia Zhang was. Now I know she’s a Forbes 30 under 30. And some internet person is obsessed with her.
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u/Late-Variation3383 Aug 31 '26
Okay, Olivia. :)
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u/MeasurementTop2885 Aug 31 '26
So predictable and idiotic.
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u/Specialist-Cry-7516 Aug 31 '26
either your Olivia or retarted.
Also no one said anything abt 30 under 30?
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u/MeasurementTop2885 Aug 31 '26 edited Aug 31 '26
“Retarted” Classic.
Lol.
How many accounts do you have anyway?
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u/yxxvihimari Sep 07 '26
I don't really know or care too much about this situation. But I explicitly remember that she stated on her college decisions reaction video that she's NOT first-gen and that her father went to Georgetown (or sum like that). She emphasized that Georgetown was the only school she had legacy at.
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u/Late-Variation3383 Sep 07 '26
What is the point you're trying to make?
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u/yxxvihimari Sep 17 '26
If she acknowledged that she wasn't first-gen in her college decisions video, she probably didn't apply to colleges as a first-gen student.
I felt like you were painting a narrative that she completely forged her college application because of her current actions. I wanted to point out that there were some aspects of her life that she probably didn't lie about on her college application, but is lying about now.
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u/Healthy_Teaching_328 Sep 17 '26
Bro stop defending her. Yk defend her all you want lmao she’s cooked and finished. If she lied like this publicly she most likely or certainly lied on her application.
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u/Vast-Ad-6761 Sep 07 '26
if you didnt care you wouldnt be typing this
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u/yxxvihimari Sep 17 '26
I cared enough to point out inconsistencies in OP's post. I guess I'm trying to give Olivia some credit because, at one point, she was honest.
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u/Adventurous_Bison_61 Sep 17 '26
What inconsistencies did you point out in the original post? It didn’t mention her college app at all.
So what are you talking about?!
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u/mutated_jam Sep 17 '26
ppl on this thread were saying that olivia lied on her college app. assuming she even told the truth about being first gen, i feel like she’s def stretching her nonprofit contributions
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u/Healthy_Teaching_328 Sep 17 '26 edited Sep 17 '26
I’m sure somewhere on that application she lied. You see how she’s been radio slient on it. It’s cuz she knows when she speaks about it now she brings more exposure to something she cannot win. Even her final statement was full of contradictions. Know she sealed her fate.
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u/mutated_jam Sep 17 '26
i was looking for someone to point out the georgetown thing, i can’t believe no one called her out on that until now
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u/yxxvihimari Sep 17 '26
Sorry if it seems like I'm defending her. I'm not. At least, not the her from right now. I genuinely believe that, at one point, she was a good person.
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u/Glad_Fun_5320 Aug 31 '26
Bro should be a private investigator atp