Z Club Scholars' Trip to Yunnan
She didn’t ask for much. Just a chance to learn, to grow, and to meet people who believed in her.
She didn’t ask for much. Just a chance to learn, to grow, and to meet people who believed in her.
In April, we traveled to a small village in Yunnan—home to Liangjing Xiao, one of our 2024 Next Gen scholarship recipients. Her family welcomed us with warmth. Her father said softly, “You’ve helped her—and helped us. I hope she’ll grow to be as exceptional as you.”
Since 2018, the Generation Z Investment Club has been working toward one mission: to make investor education accessible to every young person, no matter their background. We teach through comics. We give real capital to manage. We fund scholarships not just to relieve financial burden—but to invite students into a community where their potential is seen.
Because when one young woman starts to invest in her future, it doesn’t stop with her. It becomes a spark for generations to come. ❤️This year, the club rewarded two of our members, Khadijah PINARDI and Qinglin ZENG, an opportunity to come on this trip to personally see the impact that their investment decisions make on the scholars. Read on to hear their reflections that they had from this purpose-filled trip.
Khadijah’s Reflections
When I first saw Persis Hoo’s post about the opportunity to visit a village in Yunnan, China—the hometown of Liangjing, one of Next Gen Investors Endowment’s scholars studying Accounting and Finance at Kunming University—I was so excited to sign up, because it truly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I submitted my name during the final hour before the deadline, and I’m forever thankful I did! (Persis replied a few hours later with: “Congrats! You’re in for the Yunnan trip!!!” 😭)
What followed was a humbling and unforgettable journey with a group of passionate, thoughtful, and generous investors—Gordon Y. , Dennis Hong , Shinya Deguchi , Tiffany Liu , Persis Hoo , Qinglin, and, of course, Liangjing. Each of them taught me something invaluable.
Gordon
I learned that Gordon joined Arisaig Partners right after graduating from SMU—and is now their CEO! He completed a double degree in Social Science and Business within four years (he once took 7.5 modules in one semester 😮), pursued a Master’s in Computer Science (attending classes after work just because he loves learning), and is now doing an EMBA at Tsinghua University.
Today, he’s a master at identifying the best consumer companies in emerging Asia 🫡🫡🙏. His intellectual curiosity and love of learning really inspired me to return to learning coding (I took a Python course in SMU and dropped it… but I’m coming back!!).
Thank you, Gordon, for showing me what lifelong learning really looks like! 🫡
Dennis
Besides loving investing, I learned that Dennis is also a big animal lover. During our village stay, he spent the most time with the animals and shared stories about working on his aunt’s farm in Korea during the summers.
He shared his views with everyone about everything from the global housing market to the US’s recent tariff announcements. In one of our earlier conversations, I got to learn how he first got into investing: while at Yale, he looked up the highest-paying part-time job and ended up working at the Yale Endowment. That role sparked a journey that took him to Yale’s hedge fund, Matrix Capital, helping a friend grow a firm, and eventually starting his own— ShawSpring Partners—before turning 30. A super inspiring journey!! 🫡🫡
One piece of advice from Dennis that really stayed with me is: put yourself out there. Share your ideas. Reach out. The worst that could happen is no response—and that’s perfectly okay. Just keep going.
Thank you, Dennis, for encouraging us to be bold and keep growing.
Tiffany
Tiffany grew up in Singapore and later completed her undergraduate degree at Tsinghua, one of the world’s top universities. I learned that she began her career in Investor Relations in Hong Kong and later pursued an MBA at Oxford to broaden her global network. She is now an amazing investor, selecting the best managers around the world 🌍.
Tiffany shared that each business school has its own strengths, so choosing the right one depends on what you’re looking for. For example, Oxford is known for its strength in impact and sustainable investing, while LSE is ideal for those focused on investment banking. She also shared her outlook on ESG and sustainable investing—noting that it's becoming inevitable. As an avid supporter of sustainable investing, I couldn’t agree more 😊!
Thank you, Tiffany, for your insights and for being such a thoughtful and inspiring mentor and investor!
Shinya
Shinya is an amazing writer and allocator/investor; he always shares an inspiring vision for Next Gen Investors Endowment—making investing accessible for everyone, no matter their background. Thanks to him, all of us had the opportunity to learn from so many remarkable investors, from Gordon and Dennis to Richard Lawrence, Adithya Kamal, and more. I learned that his long-term vision for Next Gen is incredible—the goal is for it to generate enough returns to sustain itself for generations to come. (He’s also wondering whether we should update the “Gen Z Club” name soon 😄...)
Personally, Shinya encouraged me to become a better writer and analyst. I remember writing a BUY call on BYD with 0% expected return (yes, zero 😅) and got heavily criticized for it... even though I’m actually super bullish on BYD! He inspired me to keep going and keep learning from my mistakes—I’m still learning—and I’m committed to improving every step of the way!
Thank you, Shinya, for believing in all of us and for always challenging us to be better.
Persis
I learned that this was actually Persis’s longest trip since becoming a mom of two—and she was super excited about it! ☺️
Persis has been such a strong pillar of support for all of us in Next Gen, always thinking about how we can grow as a community while learning from both our wins and setbacks.
One thing that really stuck with me was how Persis shared her experience with law school—and how it helped her become a clearer and more effective communicator. Her ability to express ideas with clarity is something I deeply admire, and it motivated me to keep improving my writing and speech (especially as I prepare for the LSAT!)
Thank you, Persis, for continuously supporting us with such authenticity and care.
P.S. For anyone new—Persis is Gen Z Club’s manager, with a background in law, and she’s a growing investor alongside all of us!!
Qinglin
Qinglin is currently a master’s student at Renmin University in Beijing, and I learned that he will soon be working for a fund focused on investing in Chinese government bonds. He’s excited about his new role in Shenzhen, especially since it means less commuting time compared to his current daily 2-hour round trip in Beijing. I’m excited to visit Shenzhen and catch up with Qinglin, Motao, and Haoran!! I will work hard for my Chinese to be much better then!!
Liangjing
While Liangjing and I did not get to talk much due to the language barrier, I was so moved by her story. I learned that she comes from a beautiful family of hardworking farmers in Huize County, where they grow their own crops and livestock. They welcomed us with such warmth to their home and cooked us amazing homemade meals 🥹! I’m forever thankful for the experience.
Liangjing and I promised each other that we’ll be working hard to learn English and Chinese, so that next time we meet, we’ll have a long conversation in both languages. I’m really looking forward to that day!
My takeaway:
Don’t hesitate to say yes to opportunities that come your way. You never know what you’ll learn—or who you’ll meet. 💛
Thank you so much once again, Next Gen Investors Endowment and all of the donors, for making this trip possible. From this experience, I’ve truly learned that investing is and should be for everyone (just like Next Gen’s motto). It has the power to transform lives—just like how it’s already shaping both Liangjing’s life and mine.
Warm regards,
Khadijah
Qinglin’s Reflections
I think there are two main takeaway in our Yunnan trip.
First, more direct exposure about Liangjing's family and her village, her daily life. We also experience the great difference between country and city, between different places in China.
Besides, it is about knowing how our scholarship can make a difference and help her and her families. Conversations with her, her family, like grandparents, parents and cousin, also impresses me a lot. Although she and her cousin don't live in a rich family, they still keep very positive and learn actively.
I also don't live in a rich area, so I know that many families in China don't have any sense and knowledge about finance and investing. I think our scholarship not only provides them assistance in their lives. More importantly, it is about broadening their horizon, which is quite a treasure for students growing in villages.