Julian Zhu

Ziyu (Julian) Zhu is a multimedia journalist born and raised in Beijing, China. He earned his undergraduate degree in Journalism from Boston University in May 2025. With a passion for photography since middle school, Julian focused on his studies in photojournalism during his time at BU. Since 2023, Julian has worked as a freelance photographer for China Xinhua News Agency, covering major news events around the Greater Boston area and the New England region, and from June to August 2024, Julian interned at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a multimedia journalist. Julian received multiple recognitions for his works, including a finalist in the Spot News category at the College Photographer of the Year (CPOY) contest in October 2024, and a Best in Show award at the Boston Press Photographers Association’s (BPPA) Annual College Student Photography Contest in April 2023, etc. Some of Julian’s works have also been reprinted in major media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Rolling Stones, and The Associated Press. At Stanford, Julian plans to deepen his research in visual journalism and multimedia storytelling, exploring how photo and video journalism can shape public understanding. He looks forward to working under the mentorship of Stanford’s expert faculty and contributing to campus news and media services. In his free time, Julian enjoys reading, analog photography, and Legos.