Welcome to
my Personal Webpage
About me
I’m Zhanpeng Yang, and my friends usually call me Gabriel. Currently, I’m a senior in HFI, and I will be entering college at 2025 fall.
I have a variety of hobbies, always willing to explore new experiences and push boundaries in my life.
And here’s me, a ——
life story collector
I’ve always been passionate about applying the math knowledge I learnt to reality, benefiting others and the society as a whole.
Motivated by this, I made an individual project that collects life stories from different people and visualizes them into radar graphs, providing a rational framework for them to gain insights about their own lives. In my later works, I named it as “ChronoThread.”
Here are some of the radar graphs I drew for ChronoThread.
Cat owner
I adopted a cat in 2019 and named it as “Pidan”. Initially it was scared of people since its last owner abandoned and gave it little companion. Yet I gradually built connection and trust with Pidan through caring it meticulously and allowing it to sleep aside with me even though I am allergic to cat fur. Now the cat has already become a crucial member of our family.
I got my second cat “Gaga” when my sister brought it back after she graduated from Australia. Our family liked it very much. Sadly, it passed away because of acute heart disease one night. It happened so quickly that I didn’t even have a chance to see it one last time.
Go lover
Started from 2012, I’ve been playing the game of Go (a traditional Chinese chess game) for more than 10 years. I am now a 5 dan player (quite a high level among amateurs), and I still keep the habit of playing at least 1 game of Go per day.
I love the game so much not only because the thinking process helps improve my logical reasoning and memory, but also because the multiple failures and successes I’ve met in playing Go makes me more mature mentally, shaping my personality and enabling me to overcome the difficulties in my life.
Sports player
I’m fervent at a variety of sports. When I was in primary school, I played soccer and table tennis, and I even got the 8th place in the table tennis competition of our district.
Upon entering secondary school, I tried basketball, and I soon found myself getting addicted to it. My passion for basketball would not diminish even if my ankle had sprained twice because of it. Playing basketball is simply sooooooooooo enjoyable. Besides, I also play other sports like frisbee, pool and badminton.
Host
I’ve started hosting different events since primary school, as I was the president back then. There were many times that I had to deal with accidents, which fostered my personal growth significantly.
In high school, there were more independence when hosting events, since we students were responsible for them. This greatly enhanced my ability to think on my feet, which is probably the reason why I enjoy hosting so much. Uncertainty is a big source of joy in life for me.
Math enthusiast
As an organized person, I am naturally drawn to mathematics because of its accuracy and logical structure. The step-by-step problem-solving mode can always bring me a sense of achievement. This summer at Ross, I immersed myself into the vast world of abstract algebra, gaining fresh perspectives that deepened my passion for the subject.
Yet mathematics is not just theoretical for me; I also apply it to various fields. I’ve participated in several mathematical modeling competitions, and I’ve utilized my knowledge of combinatorial game theory to analyze the game of Go, offering me a new lens at viewing the game.
In a word, my desire to apply what I’ve learnt keeps driving me to explore interdisciplinary skills, not limiting myself to any single branch of mathematics.
PhotoGraphy Lover
Though I have never received professional training, I am passionate about photography. Whether in my daily life or while traveling, I always observe the hidden beauty of my surroundings with keen eyes, and record them with my camera. Beside is my curated photo album, which is an important manifestation of my restless nature.