Melanie Fan
Height: 5’7
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Languages: English
Occupation:
Born in Shanghai and grew up in Toronto, Melanie Fan is a passionate and charismatic 24-year-old student and entrepreneur. She is currently pursuing a double master’s degree at HEC Paris and Yale University while launching her female-focused travel app.
Prior to her master’s degree, Melanie worked as a Wall Street investment banking analyst. Through her experiences, she recognizes the harm of gender pay gap and aims to promote women’s financial literacy worldwide. Through her platform, Melanie aims to assist young adults in making more informed financial decisions, and eventually close the financial gap between men and women.
Melanie’s friends describe her as “a ray of sunshine with a purpose.” She is charismatic, confident, and warm. Melanie developed a strong sense of responsibility at an early age by caring for her younger brothers. She read them bedtime stories and provided moral guidance, as she instills her values of kindness and integrity. Melanie extends this degree of responsibility to her community by volunteering at the Shanghai Orphanage Home and financially supporting the secondary education of four children in China. Her happiness comes from bringing smiles to the faces of others.
When Melanie isn’t riding the waves of the Pacific Ocean, exploring the diverse cultures of the Middle East, or hosting piano performances in Europe, she is constantly creating. Melanie expresses her creativity through her personal photography website, YouTube channel, original artwork, and her own peer-to-peer travel app. She believes in the power of innovation and is determined to bring communities together. Compassionate and fearless, Melanie always wears a smile on her face. Nelson Mandela’s words, “what counts in life is the difference we have made in the lives of others,” remind Melanie to uplift and make a positive impact on the people around her. Therefore, she hopes her new startup app will encourage women to see the world and dare to achieve more!