Hi! My name is Yue Zhu. Born in Shanghai, China, I came to the U.S. at the start of 4th Grade. I went to Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California, and I am currently a freshman at UC Berkeley, majoring in Applied Mathematics and Philosophy.

People have always asked me why my English name is Raphael. Well, here is an explanation. My mom named me after the famous artist from the Renaissance and the tennis player Rafael Nadal. She hoped that I could influence the world just like how Raphael did, and have the mental toughness and work mindset of Nadal. I have grown up to idolize both of these extremely successful men.

Areas of Academic Interest

French

Math

Philosophy

Extracurricular Activities

Art & Music

Research

Robotics

Tennis

Awards & Recognitions

  • French:

    • Le Grand Concours Level 3 - Bronze

    • Le Grand Concours Level 4 - Honorable Mention

    • Le Grand Concours AP - Silver

    • DELF/DALF B2 - Passed

    Japanese:

    • JLPT N5 - Passed

  • Division Amaze Award at World Championships

    Multiple local/regional/state champion and award winner (excellence, design, think, etc)

    4 Consecutive World Championships Qualifications in the last 4 years

  • 4 years of Varsity Tennis in high school

    • Team Captain (11th & 12th)

    • Team Media Manager

    • Received Coach’s Award (11th)

    • Qualified for Sectionals every year and reaching Semi-Finals on 2 occasions

    French Honor Society

    Philosophy Club Vice-President

  • 7th at National High School with the school team (10th)

    High School Varsity Team Coach's Award (11th)

    Multiple local tournament champion

    Top 100 in NorCal