Zongyan Li was born in Chengdu, China in the 1990s and took a normal path through the Chinese education system of primary school, middle school, and high school. In middle school, Zongyan developed an interest in foreign languages and other cultures. Zongyan attended a boarding school from kindergarten through high school, where Zongyan made lifelong friends and was exposed to global perspectives that improved communication and leadership skills. After high school, Zongyan studied abroad in Canada through a joint program between a Chinese and Canadian college to prepare for international study. Zongyan has been studying finance for two semesters and plans to become a certified financial planner.