Suvechha Sarkar
From chaotic to motivational journeys, ‘Survivor’ has introduced several interesting stories and personalities from diverse backgrounds to its viewers since its inception. Likewise, season 48 of the reality TV competition does not disappoint at all. One of the contestants of the season, Mary Zheng brings in a unique blend of an extrovert and introspective personality into the game. Since she is aware that not every person can keep up with her multifaceted personality, it puts her one step forward on the path toward victory. Starting from her diverse experiences as a social worker to a Substance Abuse Counsellor, she is honed with skills that make her a formidable competitor.
Mary Zheng Takes Immense Pride in Being the Daughter of Political Asylees
As the first generation Chinese American in her family, Mary Zheng was born on October 4, 1993, in Montgomery Village, Maryland. She had a unique upbringing since she was raised in a multicultural household. With time, she developed a profound appreciation for her heritage and the values that were instilled in her by her parents. Mary considers her parents to be her biggest inspiration. Both her father and mother were political asylees and had a rough past before they moved to Maryland. She revealed that they helped lead the Tiananmen Square protests for democracy in China in 1989. During that period, their lives took a dark turn, with her mother escaping house arrest only after serving nine months behind bars.
Similarly, Mary added, her father managed to elude the communists with great risk and difficulty, even though there was a national search set out for him. She further expressed that they did not choose to seek political asylum but had no choice in hand because it would only mean risking their precious lives. For the 31-year-old, the life of her parents has always been led with the best intentions and purpose, which highlights nothing but their strong will and the immense respect she harbors for them. Since her childhood, Mary had been raised to believe that it is good to provide for others and eat last, which ultimately ended up shaping a huge section of her professional life.
Besides her admiration for her father for being a “political martyr” and her mother for being “the sole breadwinner” for their family, Mary never fails to grab an opportunity to spend valuable time with them. Whether it be taking them out to a nice and cozy dinner or introducing them to new drinks, she has proven to be a model daughter for them time and time again. Besides this, Mary often takes to her social media to share more glimpses into her small familial life, frequently hyping them. “They go way too hard,” she wrote alongside the picture of the duo standing side by side, looking nothing short of model.
Mary Zheng Has Dabbled Her Feet in Multiple Fields in Her Professional Journey
Mary pursued her higher education at Grinnell College, where she gained a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Chinese, which helped her equip herself with a deep understanding of her diverse cultural background. Following her time in grad school, she started social work before beginning to pursue her Masters degree. The TV personality had always felt that she was meant for social work and did not realize it fully until the year when she decided to go hitchhiking and backpacking alone across the Mediterranean. In every country where she traveled, Mary ended up meeting different people who shared their secrets with her and expressed their content on how good they felt afterward. This ultimately made her wonder, “You know what? I feel great, too.” Since then, she began contemplating the fact that the therapist always gets paid to do this exact job and finally discovered her purpose.
Mary decided to delve deeper into this profession and, hence, started volunteering at the Peace Corps in April 2019 as well as AmeriCorps, where she volunteered to uplift and strengthen communities. Additionally, she also served at Methadone Clinics, domestic violence shelters, suicide hotlines, bereavement nonprofit organizations, and various homeless shelters before stepping into her career. Surprisingly, Substance Abuse Counseling was entirely new for her, and Mary started it right after grad school and was inspired by her personal experiences with individuals that she sincerely cared about and who had suffered severely from substance abuse. She finally ended up getting a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania, ultimately helping her to get a deeper look at the complexities of human behavior.
Beyond her endeavors in the volunteering world, Mary is also a very talented singer and songwriter. She has been weaving and singing beautiful songs based on her personal experiences and releasing them on her YouTube channel titled Baby Teeth. Her songs are also available on popular music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. Although she does not engineer the music for each of her songs, the reality star usually shoots her videos herself, which makes it truly commendable. Apart from this, Mary has her own merchandise store named Maryzheng, alongside her Cameo account and personal website, where she showcases her photography skills with the pictures that she has clicked over the years.
Mary Embraces Her Adventurous Nature and is a Proud Paw Parent
A resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mary wholeheartedly embodies her adventurous personality at every opportunity she gets. Through her social media, she provides quick glimpses into her world, which often highlights her unmatched affection and love for her furry cat Gracie, who is her all-time partner. Whether it be clicking her adorable pictures or sharing updates on her furry baby’s day-to-day shenanigans, she never forgets to express her adoration and make her furry child feel loved. She had originally adopted her from her long-time friend, Emily Van Fleet. She is the daughter of her parents’ friends, and the two sisters from other mothers have been joined at the hips since their childhood. Apart from this, she loves to spend her time with Sam Rosen, her college roommate, back in Philadelphia.
Mary and Sam share a connection that is truly something to live for, and they never fail to make each other feel special about their position in their life. She also enjoys partying with her friends and had a blast during her New Year’s party in 2025. With her love for adventure, the TV star holds her quirks close to her heart and never stops being unapologetically herself. It does not matter where she is clicking pictures, striking goofy poses on a car, or showing off her tattoos with her favorite message: “Today’s the youngest you’ll ever be, don’t forget it!” The best part is Mary Zheng has the unwavering support of her loved ones throughout her journey, and from what we can tell, she will continue being fearless and unbothered by what other people have to say about her.
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