Editor's note: This year we honored some of the brightest young minds in the Bay Area innovation sector as part of our Inno Under 25 feature. Check out all the profiles from this year's honorees here.
Alice Zhou learned about the stock market the hard way. With her parents’ help, she invested in stocks during the pandemic and lost some money. But the lesson spurred her to launch a financial education nonprofit, Finclusion, to help other high school students learn about building wealth sustainably.
Finclusion now has around two dozen volunteers who help manage everything from creating online courses and marketing to matching students in the program with mentors.
Where does your interest in finance come from?
It started during the stock market crash in 2020. A lot of people were talking about stocks. Every day stocks would be gaining, growing. It really drew me in. The idea of, "Oh, you can get rich quick with a stock" — that was a false perception that I fell under.
Your parents helped you make some investments with your own money?
Yeah, with my savings. Also, there are online simulators and competitions that give you virtual cash. It was fun trying it. I think that experience was important because it taught me that I'm not the only person falling under this perception of, "Oh, this market is a get-rich-quick tool." I want to help my peers understand the idea that it's actually a tool to use to build wealth in the long term, not something just for the short term.
What has it been like building a non-profit while still being in high school?
During the school year, it's definitely more busy. It was a lot of networking, getting people to learn about our mission and then getting through the application process and interviews. There were so many setbacks we faced, and part of overcoming those setbacks was bringing on a board of advisers.
Do you have an idea of what your long-term career goals are?
A lot of ideas flash back and forth to my mind, but I don't have a specific career path in mind. I do know I want to go into finance and equitable education.
How do you think about balancing everything while also finding time to relax, destress and enjoy your life?
My mom sees me sometimes not finding that balance. She really inspired me and showed me that focusing so much on the work aspect sometimes and getting carried away with that, you'll lose the value of finding relaxation and time with friends and family. Sometimes you can't control how things come at you and there is not balance, you have to sacrifice that time. But I still value and make sure to allocate time to spend time with friends and family.
About Alice
Age: 16
Education: Miramonte High School
Residence: Orinda
Role: Founder
Company: Finclusion
