Céline Zhang is a Montreal-based youth innovator, policy strategist, and social entrepreneur whose work bridges civic engagement, education reform, and sustainability. She is the Founder of the Student Innovation Lab, a youth-led do-tank advancing equity through policy, design, and technology. Under her leadership, the Lab has contributed to 28+ policy briefs on education, accessibility, and environmental reform; advised the Quebec Ministry of Families on anti-bullying policy; co-designed a province-wide educational game for 100+ schools; launched the Zen Zone wellness hub serving 2,000+ students weekly; and built an alumni mentorship platform that has raised multiple scholarships.
Céline also co-founded the Alleos Project, a circular economy initiative in East Africa that strengthens Zanzibar’s blue economy through mangrove restoration, marine conservation, and youth employment. They have created an award-winning documentary on climate polarization and economic empowerment. Céline was also personally featured at the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum.
Her civic tech venture, Pavé, empowers citizens to crowdsource infrastructure solutions, driving real policy wins such as five new public bus lines in Quebec. Recognized nationally and internationally, Céline has received the Ingenious+ National Youth Innovation Award, the Global Goals Youth Innovator Award, and was named Top 50 under 30 at the Japan Peace and Innovation Summit. In her free time, she is a passionate sailor and loves art.