Our Stories
Spring Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by a group of passionate students in 2011 at UC Berkeley. Holding on to our core values ‘Family, Passion, Promise, and Empowerment’, we dedicate ourselves to improving the living standards and education accessibilities of underprivileged children in rural China. Through fundraisers, on-campus projects and summer visits, we empower them with knowledge, trust, and confidence to have a brighter future.
In Fall 2011, 6 passionate students from diverse backgrounds met up to discuss how to make a difference during their short 4-year study at Berkeley. They had different academic interests, but they all shared a heartfelt concern for the underprivileged children in rural China. Through research and heated debate on how to best leverage our limited resources, Spring Foundation is the only student organization in Berkeley dedicated to supporting underprivileged children in rural China.
Over the years, we have grown into a larger organization with a size of about 25 active members and an alumni network of 98. Our members come from diverse academic disciplines and cultural backgrounds. We share the deep conviction that we should use our knowledge and platform to serve children who cannot voice for themselves.
Our Values
Family
We create a sense of belonging and build a home for every member. We support each other in work, study, and personal life.
Passion
The primary force driving Spring Foundation comes from the passion every member shares for philanthropy and our love for children.
Promise
We value our promise of shouldering social responsibilities and helping children in need.
Empowerment
When we help the children, they also help us improve. Philanthropy is mutual. We grow and thrive with the children.
Our Team
Spring Foundation has a flat structure in which there are only presidents and general members. Besides the Finance Team and Internal Team, there are no fixed committee. Each member can join different project teams and take on leaderships.
Yuning Xue
President
Yuning serves as the president of Spring Foundation for the 2022 term. Yuning is a sophomore at UC Berkeley majoring in Political Science and Data Science. Having joined Spring Foundation in his first semester at Berkeley, Yuning has worked as the project leader for Spring Incubator 2.0, where he led the team to connect, fund, and help education nonprofits based in China. In his leisure time, Yuning enjoys driving, playing soccer, and listening to French folk-rock.
Claire Li
Vice President of Operations
Claire, a sophomore majoring in Economics and Data Sciences, is thrilled to serve as the VP of Operations of Spring Foundation in the SP 2022 semester. This is Claire's fourth semester at Spring Foundation. In the past semester, she has worked on both the Spring Incubator and Read With Me teams. This semester, with the new club structure, as VPO, Claire will focus mainly on marketing, financing/budgeting, and administration for Spring Foundation. When she gets the time, Claire loves to binge-watch Netflix, hike, and go to different music festivals/concerts :))
Megan Yao
External Vice President
Megan serves as the External Vice President at Spring Foundation for Spring Semester 2022. She is a sophomore majoring in Comparative Literature and Sociology. This is her fourth semester at Spring Foundation; she has devoted most of her time here to the Spring Incubator project, where she served as a team leader. Starting from this semester, she will be mainly responsible for helping the club communicate and collaborate with external student clubs and organizations. In her leisure time, Megan likes to read Japanese and French novels, as well as binge-watching Netflix comedy shows.
Xiaowen Liu
Internal Vice President
Xiaowen is the Internal Vice President of Spring Foundation for 2022. Xiaowen is a sophomore studying Cognitive Science and Computer Science. She co-led the project ‘Village Teachers and Kids’ and held an online photo exhibition in Spring 2021. In Fall 2021, she led ‘Read With Me’ and prepared for the launch of our project-based reading camp. This semester, Xiaowen is responsible for strengthening bonds among members and facilitating their professional development. During her spare time, Xiaowen enjoys hiking, singing, and having chocolate and fruit tea.
