“The Student Bar Association is the law school’s student government,” Shaun Zhang said. “The president is the chief representative of the law school student body.”
He was elected to the post on Feb. 24 and will take office in March 27 for a one-year term. Georgetown is the second largest law school in the nation, just behind Harvard University.
Zhang is a second-year law student and plans to return to Georgia to practice law after his graduation. He said he will likely pursue a career in patent law.
He moved to Carrollton from China in 1999 with his parents when his father came here to attend a master’s program at University of West Georgia. He was recognized at an early age for his academic excellence.
“A Duke University program invited students to take the SAT in the seventh grade,” he said. “I took it and had a total score of 1270, with a math score of 780.”
At age 12, Zhang was invited to take courses at University of West Georgia. He became a full-time student there in 2005 at age 14. He was awarded a $300,000 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation merit scholarship in 2007, ranking in the top 35 students from more than 1,000 applicants.
Zhang transferred to Georgia Tech in his junior year and earned his B.S. degree in material science and engineering, graduating with highest honors at age 18.
“I was the founding vice president of the Georgia Tech chapter of Sigma Pi fraternity,” he said.
“While I was studying engineering, I found that I really liked the business aspect of engineering. I decided to go into law because I’m interested in patent law and that requires an engineering background.”
He enrolled in the Georgetown law program in 2010, seeking his juris doctorate degree.
Zhang worked last summer with the law firm of Andersen, Tate and Carr of Duluth, Ga.
He participated in organizing the Feb. 29 Home Court, an annual charity basketball game between Georgetown professors and U.S. Congress members.
“We raised $941,000 for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless,” he said. “Through the years, Home Court has raised $5 million for charity.”
While living in Carrollton and attending Carrollton Elementary and Junior High schools, Zhang was on the Carrollton Bluefins swim team and was a finalist in state competition. He was first chair saxophonist in the junior high band and a member of Carrollton First United Methodist Church.
He was a state champion in Georgia Math League competition and a state runnerup in MathCounts competition and National Beta Club math competition.
Zhang said he still considers himself a Carrollton native and likes to keep in touch with his friends and neighbors from back home.
“I have many special friends in Carrollton, such as Mary Anne Crite and her family,” he said.
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