Lily Zhang Finds Her Next Shot

For Lily Zhang ’26, golf has never been just about the number on the scorecard. It’s about the “next shot.”

She first heard the phrase as a three-year-old, swinging plastic golf clubs alongside her father. The idea was simple: good shot or bad shot, you move forward. Reset. Focus on what’s in front of you.

It’s a mindset that has followed her from the fairway to the classroom and, more recently, into a cancer research lab.

Now a senior at Nichols, Lily moves between her worlds with remarkable range. One afternoon might bring nine holes of competition golf. Another might find her analyzing lung cancer data alongside physicians at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. The settings are different, but the mentality is the same.

To read Lily's full profile and any of our other Nichols Student Spotlights, please click here.

To view the full video feature on YouTube, click here.