Haoran Zhu

Wiliam From Wisconsin ,originally from China Beijing.



Projects by haorzhu

Finding A New Stage: From Guitar To Fashion

 By: Wesley Sewell, Drew Foertsch, Haoran Zhu

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (April 3, 2025)

Yaoxin Wang remembers the first time she picked up a guitar. She was just a child, drawn to the instrument because of her father. Music was her identity. By middle school, she was performing on stage with the band. In high school, she was accepted into the prestigious Art Department of PLA University, a significant step toward her dream of becoming one of the most famous female guitarists in China.

Yaoxin Wang plays an unusual electric guitar in her store. This guitar is modified without strings to allow her to play in current condition.

 

Then, in a single, unexpected moment, everything changed.

But what was meant to be a reward turned into an unexpected tragedy. A serious motorcycle accident left her middle and ring fingers too weak to hold the strings. The realization hit her hard, “I can’t hold the strings anymore. I can’t go to the university that accepted me,” Wang says. Just like that, her dream was shattered.

When her father recalls the memory, he says, “When she got that acceptance letter, we thought everything was falling into place.” We could not have imagined how swiftly it would all change. She desired that motorcycle so intensely. At the time, all we wanted was to see her happy,” he says in a hushed tone. “Looking back… it’s hard not to ponder.”

Yaoxin Wang is posing on her father’s lap for a photo. Her father has been playing the guitar for her and teaching her since she was an infant.

 

Losing her ability to play was not just a setback, it was a devastating blow. Music had been her passion, her plan for the future, and her way of expressing herself. Without it, she felt lost. “Sometimes people have to say goodbye to their dreams,” she reflects. “But there is no correct answer in life, nor is there a universal formula.” The struggle of letting go was real, and the pain was palpable.

Instead of music school, she looked to study law at Indiana University. It was a decision rooted in stability, a practical career path. But no matter how much she studied, something was missing. Law was logical, structured, and rigid. Wang was lacking the creative challenge that she was familiar with. 

For Wang, reinvention came in a form no one could have predicted: fashion.

She had always admired fashion but never considered it seriously. It was not until law school that she realized how much she cared about it. Instead of focusing on what she had lost, she started thinking about what she could create. She emphasizes the importance of personal growth, saying, “The harder thing after giving up your dream is whether you have a stronger heart to adjust yourself.”

Although her family did not fully understand her decision, they later expressed their praise: “At first, we didn’t know what to think. Law school made sense. A clothing store? That was unexpected,” he laughs. “But now I see it’s the same creative fire, just expressed differently.”

She began researching the industry, sketching ideas, and learning the business side of fashion. Over time, her new dream became a reality. Now, at 29, Wang is preparing to open her clothing store in Indianapolis.

Opening a store is not the type of performance Wang had thought she would be doing at this point in her life. 

Performance is not just about being on stage. It is about dedication, passion, and pushing forward despite unplanned things. Wang may not be playing guitar under the spotlight like she once dreamed of, but she is still performing in a way she never expected. Succeeding where others have failed in her situation is what makes her powerful. 

Wang says the most surprising part of starting her store has been the freedom. After years spent studying case law and reading dense legal texts, she now wakes up excited to pick fabrics, arrange displays, and speak with customers. “I finally feel like I’m doing something that reflects who I am,” she says. The store isn’t just a business, it’s a space where she can rebuild confidence and connection. Each outfit she curates is like a message: a way to communicate identity, much like she once did through music. 

Wang’s story is a testament to the adaptability of dreams. Life is full of adversity, sometimes we’re forced to take a different path or change our dreams altogether. But as Wang has shown, a new dream can be just as promising as the one left behind. Wang’s story demonstrates that no matter what life throws at her, she will conquer it. This is a powerful reminder that you can rise above any challenge, no matter how daunting it may seem.

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A NEW WORLD OF TIME: APPLE TAKES A LEAP IN SMARTWATCH INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

Media Contacts
Regan Stookey
Taylor Gibson
Haoran Zhu

CUPERTINO, California. (Sept. 9,2014)- During the morning of September 9th widely known Apple CEO Tim Cook left listeners in the Flint Center for the Performing Arts hanging on the edge of their seats as he hinted at the New Innovation. As listeners gasped, Tim Cook eagerly displayed a highly insightful showcase which revealed to the listeners the reasoning of Tims excitement- The Apple Watch.

To break into the specs of the Apple Watch Cook shares with his listeners the in-depth thinking that went into creating a smartwatch that would not only be technologically advanced but also cover the need for navigating technology with ease as well as in style. He reveals that with each product that Apple has created a breakthrough in user interface was needed. We were then introduced to the new technology of the “digital crown”. Cooke explained that the new Apple watch will include “Infrared LEDs and photodiodes that translate rotary movement into digital data”. However, one does not need to understand the full meaning of that-in simple terms Apple reveals when you turn the digital crown it allows for you to do simple things like zooming in and out as well as scrolling through text all while avoiding blocking the screen with your fingertips. On top of this with a yet again simple click of the digital crown you are navigated right back to your home screen. Following this reveal Cook queued in a fellow designer to give an insight to how Apple has yet again improved not only the physical technology but also its digital technology.

This student uses Apple Watch to stay organized, set study timers, and achieve their study goals one notification at a time.

 

 

 

 

Johnny Ive, a Senior Design VP at Apple, takes us through yet another showcase of the Apple Watch which allowed the viewers to get a physical insight to the new innovation. Ive begins by stating “Were introducing an unparalleled level of technical innovation combined with a design that connects with the wearer at an intimate level to both embrace individuality and inspire desire”.  Through the usage of Smart reply dictation the Apple watch allows for you to swiftly respond to text messages on the go as well as glances allow for you to productively swipe through information. However, it does not stop there through digital touch users are now able to connect through creative interactions-perhaps you would like to send your friend a quick sketch or step further into personal effects and send your own heartbeat. Each of these features are easily accessible through the Apple Watch offering personable experiences that most smartwatches and technology avoid all through a flexible retina display on a single crystal of sapphire. While the watch may be small enough to fit onto your wrist Ive explained that it is practically an “entire computer system onto a single chip” covered by a zirconia back with four sapphire lenses with infrared visible light LEDs and photo sensors. These lenses allow for Apple to then break into the health sector of this Smartwatch starting with pulse rate. An in-depth profile of the user’s daily activity can be created through the usage of the gyroscope providing fitness goals and milestones. To personalize it even further Apple provides a broad range of watch faces as well as their capability beyond the interface-six different interchangeable straps.

The masseuse tracks appointment times in real time on her Apple Watch, ensuring every guest gets a relaxing moment while she manages her busy schedule.

Vice president Kevin Lynch provides a Live demo of the Apple Watch further introducing glances. Glances allows for you to choose information to be displayed to you at a quick swipe of the watch from things such as built in apps and 3rd party apps arranged to your liking. While swiftly going through messages Apple has also created a quick board allowing for even swiffer responses to texts through analysis providing responses that are personable to you as well as your conversation. As we all know and love Siri that has been in the Apple product known as the iPhone she is also available in the Apple Watch allowing you to ask her any and every question that comes to mind. Lynch concludes with the feature of the Watchkit a integrated experience that allows for developers to create in depth notifications from 3rd party apps as well as creative glances.

As if the Apple Watch seemed to already have it all, Cooke enlightens us with one last feature-Health and fitness. Through collaboration with Jay Blahnik the Director of Fitness, Health Technologies an important new era to Apple was created providing aid to all goals and fitness levels with two new applications. The fitness app monitors daily activity and movement extending into the workout app allowing for more specified goals in things such as running or even cycling for the more active users. An accelerometer is used to measure your total body movement as well as a sensor that measures intensity through your heart rate. Complete with GPS and navigation systems to track distance while providing direction.

The Apple watch is undoubtedly a large innovative leap into the capabilities of the smart watch. Through a sleek flexible retina display Apple provides it all with top-of-the-line technology adding personable features providing style and inclusivity. Redefining the simplicity of a watch one feature at a time.

 

Tim Cook and Kevin Lynch educating viewers on Apples latest updates and models. These new features will allow for users to explore all new technologies.

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