- Around Town
- Around Town - September-October 2011
- Our Pick - theWforum
- Around Town - New Hope Receives FIDELIS Charitable Foundation Gift
- Ask The Experts
- Ask The Expert: Iris Lurie
- Ask The Expert - Dr. William Ziegler
- Ask The Expert: Asaad H. Samra, M.D.
- Bay Wellness
- Bay Wellness - Don't Forget
- Bay Wellness - Welcome to our newest issue
- Bay Wellness - Making Weight Loss a Family Affair
- Buyers Guide 2011-2012
- Buyers Guide 2011-12 - The Prince & The Pawper
- Buyers Guide 2011-12 - A Perfect Gift by Marilyn
- Buyers Guide 2011-12 - Marquis Florals
- Cover Story
- A First for Everything - Kim Guadagno
- Dave Scotti - Originality Is The Name of The Game
- No Horsing Around
- Daytripper
- Daytripper: AdventureAquarium
- Day Tripper - Yogi Berra Museum
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex
- Featured Artist
- Featured Artist - José Serrano
- Featured Artist - Tim Dorland: A Glass Act
- Featured Artist - Amy Puccio
- Gift Guide
- Gift Guide - Arhaus Furniture
- Gift Guide - Garage Floor Coatings
- Holiday Gift Guide - Jay’s Shoe Box
- Health Talk
- Health Talk - Anthony Sparano, M.D.
- Health Talk - David Lopez, M.D.
- Health Talk - Lori S. Gormley, M.D.
- Health, Wellness & Beauty
- Health - The Wellness Center Pharmacy & Surgical
- Health - Tara Gostovich, DMD Orthodontist
- Health - NJ Shore Fit
- Living in Colts Neck
- Writing a Legacy with Superintendent Dick Fitzpatrick
- Gratitude in Guatemala
- La Bella Vita!
- Newsletter Articles
- The Perfect Nest - LaCorte
- Company Profile - BMW of Freehold
- Our Pick - The Colts Neck Inn Ballroom
- Our Picks
- Company Profile - Sea Coast Chevrolet
- Our Picks: Rockwell Dentistry
- Our Pick: Ideal Tile Fabrication
- People On The Move
- Brad Greenberg - Caretaker For A Town
- People on the Move: Dorothee Volpini de Maestri-Gerberding
- People On The Move: Mark Malek
- The Bay
- The Bay - Healthier Heart
- The Bay - A Body In Motion
- The Bay - National Stroke Awareness Month
Kids On The Move - Lisa Zhang
08/30/2011 - By Paul Williams
IN THE SWIM
After capturing 14 swimming titles through her high school years, Marlboro’s 18-year-old Lisa Zhang will be making the leap to a bigger pond next year. Zhang will be attending Columbia University, and competing for their swim team when she starts her freshman year this fall. Zhang’s acceptance to the prestigious Ivy League school came thanks to her standout efforts in the classroom and in the pool, as she placed third academically in her class and is one of the most acclaimed swimmers in Marlboro history. In the 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard individual medley, and 100-yard backstroke, Zhang boasts six Monmouth County championships, eight state titles, and top-five finishes in the junior Olympics. She is looking forward to adding to that total with Columbia’s team, which she has already fallen in love with. “When I went on their recruitment trip, I had an amazing time. I connected with the people there. I felt right at home, they were all so welcoming. I knew I wanted to live there, and stay there since they made me feel like I was part of the team from the get-go,” she says.
Swimming has been a passion of Zhang’s ever since she started taking swimming classes at the Red Bank YMCA. It’s almost difficult to believe that when she first tried out for Y’s club team, she didn’t make it. “I just moved up through the classes there. I didn’t really view swimming as a process or a competition when I was 9, and I didn’t make the team. I tried out the next year, and I made it, and I’ve been on it ever since.” That kind of determination has always been a driving force for Zhang. “I grew up in a focused, goal-oriented household. Not trying to achieve what you set out to do just doesn’t seem normal. I’ve always been focused on school first, and then prioritizing everything else, and going after my goals.” Zhang attributes her focus to her parents, who immigrated to the United States from China. “My mom came here with only a couple hundred bucks and made a life for herself. She and my dad worked hard to provide a life for me, and I want to live it to the fullest. I feel I need to give back to them for all they have done for me.”
In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Zhang was also a member of National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, and took eight AP classes over the last two years. She is a phenomenal piano player as well, having garnered enough honors from the Piano Teachers Society of America to play in Carnegie Hall several times. “The piano is a musical outlet for me. It’s the one creative thing that I can do. No matter how many people are watching me, I can get lost in the music, and feel like I’m telling a story through it.” Lisa also acts as a guide to her younger sister, Lori, who is also a swimmer and plays piano. “We have similar interests, but we’re different people. I’ll give her advice every now and then because we are so close.”
Even with her schedule filled up with swimming practice, school work, and extracurricular volunteering, Zhang still finds time to read and study history too. “I just find history so fascinating. I think it’s something that everyone should have to know. We can definitely all learn from it.” Eventually Zhang would like to traverse most of Europe, to take in and experience all the rich history that it has to offer. “I don’t think I’ll be able to study abroad since the swim season spans two semesters, but some day I’d like to get there. Not to say that I specifically walked the same steps that Caesar did, but to say I was standing in a place close enough to where he was. Something like that would be pretty cool.”
Zhang has not yet declared a major at Columbia, but believes that her fervor for learning history and business will lead her to somewhere towards the economic field. There should be little doubt that she will get there, especially since she believes the word “determined” is the one that describes her best. “If I want something, I’m going to try and get it. I’m going to do my part to make a difference in this world. I think that actions are definitely more powerful than words. I’m going to do my best to accomplish my goals.”
STATS
FAVORITE RESTAURANT
Chili’s
FAVORITE MUSICIAN
Adele
FAVORITE MOVIE
“Pride and Prejudice”
PET PEEVE
Swimming near any fish
THREE PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH
Victoria Woodhull, Barack Obama, Robert E. Lee
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