Name: Nick HendersonProgram: Master of Arts in International Studies
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Franklin and Marshall College ‘17, Government major and Chinese minor
How did you become interested in China? Have you had any prior experiences here?
In high school I became very good friends with a Chinese exchange student who was staying with my best friend’s family. As I got to know him, I realized that because we had the common language of English, we could share and understand each other. I started studying Chinese in college, recognizing the possibilities for interaction that opened up. My freshman year, the Obama administration also began the “Pivot to Asia,” so as a student majoring in Government I felt Chinese was important. The spring of my junior year at Franklin and Marshall, I spent four months in Shanghai with the Gilman scholarship program, and extended my stay for another four months.
What professional experiences have you had between undergrad and HNC?
After graduation, I did a Princeton in Asia fellowship in Shanghai, teaching English and establishing a writing center at the school where I worked.
What encouraged you to apply to the Hopkins-Nanjing Center? What’s your focus here?
After I returned from my Gilman program, an admissions representative from the HNC came by campus along with other top schools for International Relations. I was looking for a direction to form my next two years after college, and the HNC seemed like a great program to aim for. I wanted to solidify my expertise in government and economics through an academic program, and the HNC seemed like the best place to do so.
What do you hope to do after you graduate?
I would like to work for the State Department on the specialist track with an economic focus.
Name: Natalie CraigProgram: HNC Certificate + Johns Hopkins SAIS MA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Kansas ’19, Strategic Communications, Chinese Language and Culture
How did you become interested in China? Have you had any prior experiences here?
In third grade, both of my best friends were adopted from China, and I went with them to a Chinese culture summer camp in Oklahoma, which really sparked my interest in Chinese culture. I started studying Chinese in eighth grade, and my first abroad experience was a three-week homestay in Beihai my sophomore year. In college I studied abroad twice, first the Princeton in Beijing program and then Nankai University in Tianjin for my last semester.
What professional experiences have you had between undergrad and HNC?
This summer I had a fashion PR internship in New York.
What encouraged you to apply to the Hopkins-Nanjing Center? What’s your focus here?
I really liked the idea of taking classes in my target language. Instead of learning the language through a textbook, this program is about learning new topics, just taught in Chinese. I also liked that in the Certificate + MA program, I can spend one year here in Nanjing and one year in DC. I’m planning to concentrate in Conflict Management next year in DC.
What do you hope to do after you graduate?
As of right now, I’m hoping to work for the U.S. government in the diplomatic sphere, establishing better relations between China and the U.S.
Interviewed by Amanda Walencewicz, HNC Certificate ’20
