Isabel Chang
Curiosity, put into motion.

Hi, I’m Isabel.See what I’ve been up to

DebaterFounderResearcherArtistBuilder

See what I’m planning next
A little glimpse of my world
Isabel at the UNLV Debate Tournament Semifinals (Top 4) round
From the UNLV Debate Tournament Semifinals (Top 4) Round

At a glance

#1

Nationally

NDCA National Championship · Public Forum Debate

150+

Students

Directly taught through Wise Online, the digital literacy nonprofit I founded

$14,300

raised

in cash donations, foods, books, and more supporting nonprofits

90k+

Monthly

Impressions on my Pinterest

300+

Visitors

Educated as a Junior Ambassador at the Bowers Museum

My thread

I follow what grabs me.
Here’s where it’s led.

CreatingServing

Curiosity → action

What I’ve Built

01

Creating

Founder of Wise Online

Critical Thinking for the Digital Media Age

I founded Wise Online to help middle schoolers be more prepared in the new AI and Digital Age. As new technologies change the digital landscape, policy and education is slow to follow, leaving students unprepared.

This was the motivation for Wise Online. The same skills I learned being a competitive debater, I applied to the curriculum that I wrote. Since founding, I have expanded:

  • 150+ students reached
  • 9 lessons written: bias, rhetoric, clickbait
  • 94% student approval rate
  • Partnered with City of Irvine, 6 schools, and 5 organizations

Rotary Service Above Self Scholarship: $1,000, #1 regionally, top 150 internationally; donated back to Wise Online.

Dragon Kim Foundation Finalist.

Students holding certificates from the weeklong Wise Online program Isabel led
Students holding certificates from the weeklong Wise Online program I led
Isabel teaching a free Wise Online workshop for a local afterschool program
Free Wise Online workshop for local afterschool program

Director of Community Service & Cultural Awareness

Associated Student Body

As Community Service & Cultural Awareness Commissioner, I lead our school’s service drives and cultural events for 600 students. I managed the Cultural Fair twice, the largest student led event.

  • 600+ participants in Cultural Fair with 20+ booths, a $3k budget, and a team of 40
  • $2,000+ raised for Thanksgiving meals
  • $1,900+ raised for homeless services
  • 300+ toys donated valued at $6,000
  • $2,300+ raised for Street Child United
  • 430 pounds of food donated to Boys & Girls Club valued at $4,000

Won Most Valuable Player (MVP) 3 Times

Stanford Researcher with the Reischauer Scholars Program

Stanford Program on International & Cross-Cultural Education

I was selected as 1 of 30 scholars and researchers. I authored and presented research on the epistemology and politics of Japan’s Mingei Folk Arts, through weekly discussions with experts and advising from Naomi Funahashi.

  • 1 of 30 scholars selected
  • Published research paper
02

Serving

Board Director at Orange County Debate League

Nonprofit Organization dedicated to affordable debate tournaments

As Board Director and Head Tabulation Administrator, I help run a nonprofit that provides affordable debate tournaments. I strengthened the league’s communication, liability, and equity policies.

  • 12 state and 4 national championships administered
  • 450+ debaters served
  • 7 tabulation staff trained
  • Serving 85 different schools and organizations

Junior Ambassador Bowers Museum

Docent & Mentor at History, Culture, and Art Museum

I was 1 of 14 students selected as a Junior Ambassador. I researched and presented 4 exhibits, including the Terracotta Warriors and Chinese national relics (Grade 1 Cultural Relics, 110 new discoveries).

  • 300+ visitors educated
  • 4 exhibits presented
  • 30+ volunteer hours of museum tours
  • Featured in the World Journal News, the largest Chinese language newspaper in the United States

Congressional Campaign

California’s 47th Congressional District

I interned as a canvasser and journalist on a congressional campaign. I did door-to-door outreach and calls, and wrote a journalism piece on state regulation.

  • 1,200+ voters contacted
  • 800-word article, 2 local businesses interviewed
  • 100+ volunteer hours

Competitive Debate

Public Forum

As Head Captain and Varsity Debater for Fairmont Prep, I ran practices twice a week and mentored 14 novices on case-building and rebuttals.

  • #10 nationally out of 4,600 teams (NDCA)
  • #1 sophomore team in the nation
  • 3× Tournament of Champions qualifier
  • 39+ national and international tournaments

Henna Art

Independent Study

Henna is my independent creative practice, with 100+ original designs for friends, family, and school events. My mom’s lucky charms, phoenixes and turtles, show up in a lot of my work.

  • 60k+ Pinterest impressions a month
  • 1.6k+ engagements a month
  • Featured artist at Culture Week and Diwali Festival (2×, 600+ attendees)
Stories held in objects
Showing up for each other

Where this is all heading

What’s Next

I am passionate about connecting people with meaningful opportunities.

Why

I have spent much of high school building things I wish had existed: a nonprofit teaching students media literacy, programs making debate more accessible, and initiatives connecting students to opportunities to serve their communities.

But somewhere along the way, I began asking a different question: What makes someone actually care about the work they do?

Too often, community service becomes a checklist. Students accumulate hours, join organizations, and pursue leadership positions without necessarily understanding what motivates them. I want to change that.

Across these seemingly different initiatives, I’ve discovered a common motivation: I want to help people discover what they care about and give them the tools to act on it.

Looking Ahead: Finding Purpose in an AI-Driven World

As I look toward an increasingly AI-driven future, I want to take this mission further. If AI can relieve us of repetitive work and expand what we are capable of accomplishing, I believe we must also reconsider what we want to accomplish in the first place.

The next challenge isn’t simply figuring out what technology can help us do, but what we want to do with the opportunities it creates.

Introducing Teleios

Teleios combines my interests in philosophy, technology, and community-building to develop an AI-powered platform that helps students, and eventually people of all ages, explore their values, discover meaningful opportunities, and turn their interests into tangible contributions.

The name comes from the Greek philosophical tradition. Telos refers to an end, aim, or purpose, while teleios evokes the idea of becoming complete or fully developed. Drawing on these ideas, I want Teleios to explore a question that has interested philosophers for centuries:

What does it mean to live a meaningful life, and how do we discover our place in making the world better?

My previous projects taught me how to recognize problems and build solutions; Teleios is my opportunity to help others discover the problems they want to solve.

Along the way

Honors & Awards

2026

#1 Team · NDCA National Championship

Public Forum · Only the top 5% nationally qualify.

National

Semifinalist · UNLV Debate Tournament

Top 4 of 140 teams.

International

Quarterfinalist · Arizona State University Debate Tournament

Top 16 of 288 teams.

International

#6 Speaker · UC Berkeley TOC Invitational

Out of 342 speakers.

International

Rotary Service Above Self Scholarship

1 of 150 internationally, #1 regionally. $1,000 donated to Wise Online.

International

Dragon Kim Foundation Finalist

Approximately top 50 across 3 states.

National

Changemakers Docathon Scholarship

International Schools Partnership.

International

Philosophy Student of the Year

Fairmont Preparatory Academy.

School

AP Chinese Student of the Year

Fairmont Preparatory Academy.

School

2024

Quarterfinalist & #5 Speaker · Taiwan Speech & Debate Invitational

Out of 72 teams. Tournament of Champions bid earned.

International

Octofinalist · Yale Invitational Debate Tournament

Top 32 of 320 teams.

International

Badminton Doubles Player of the Year

Fairmont Preparatory Academy.

School

2023

$90,000+ Valedictorian Scholarship

Given to the student with the highest cumulative GPA

School

Beyond the bullet points

A Little More About Me

I’m Isabel Chang — a senior at Fairmont Preparatory Academy in Anaheim, CA, and a person who can’t leave an interesting question alone.

When I discovered debate in 9th grade, I didn’t just join the team — I became Head Captain, qualified for the Tournament of Champions three times, and helped my team win a national championship. When I noticed middle schoolers had no tools to spot misinformation, I didn’t write an essay about it — I co-founded Wise Online, a nonprofit that’s now partnered with the City of Irvine and taught 150+ students how to think critically about what they read.

When the Bowers Museum opened an exhibit on China’s Terracotta Warriors, I didn’t just visit — I trained as a Junior Ambassador and educated hundreds of visitors on artifacts I’d researched firsthand.

That’s the pattern. Something grabs me, and I grab back.

Outside of all that, I’m a 14-year dancer (jazz, lyrical, K-pop, ballet), a henna artist whose Pinterest pulls 60k impressions a month, a Varsity badminton captain who curates the team hype playlist, and someone who genuinely believes philosophy should be taught in middle school.

Isabel enjoying the view while hiking in Maine
Enjoying the view

Education

Fairmont Preparatory Academy

Anaheim, CA · Expected Diploma: 2027

4.89 GPA · Weighted

Selected coursework

Differential Equations · Linear Algebra · AP Computer Science A · AP Art History · AP Chinese · AP Chemistry · AP Calculus BC · IB Philosophy

Skills & tools

LanguagesMandarin Chinese (fluent), Java, C++, x86 Assembly

SoftwareAdobe Premiere, Photoshop, 3D Modeling, Canva, Google Workspace

OtherCPR & First Aid Certified, 14 years of dance, Henna Artist

The things I come back to

Isabel enjoying the view while hiking in Maine
Enjoying the view

Hiking and Nature

Lifelong adventurer

Isabel on the badminton court
On the court

A little friendly competition

Varsity badminton captain. Team hype playlist curator.

Isabel's henna art
The details matter

Art, made personal

Phoenixes and turtles — my mom’s lucky charms — find their way into my henna.

Keep the conversation going

Let’s Talk

Whether it’s about debate, philosophy, a collaboration, or just something interesting, I’d love to hear from you.

Currently reading

To be continued…

Currently obsessed with

To be continued…