Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

HNC Student Blogger Amanda Walencewicz interviews June Choi, an HNC Certificate + MA graduate who concentrated in Energy, Resources, and Environment (ERE). She currently works as a climate finance analyst at the Climate Policy Initiative. How did you become interested in China and end up at the HNC? My interest in China had two major drivers. One, I'm Korean, so I was interested in the shared heritage, and my interest in Mandarin in particular stemmed from its close relationship with Korean. I had started learning Mandarin in college and wanted to deepen that experience and be in an environment where I could use the language 24/7. The second driving factor was the fact that you need to understand China if you are interested in global climate policy, because of the huge role that China plays in terms of emissions contributions. For example, if China's national emissions trading scheme went online, it would be more than four times the size of the current EU trading...

Mario Colella (HNC Certificate '19 + SAIS MA '20) shares his experience as  Editor-in-Chief of the China Studies Review and his inside scoop on research opportunities at SAIS. How did you hear about the China Studies Review and what drew you to apply to the Editor in Chief position? I heard about the China Studies Review (CSR) after a good friend of mine made me aware of the journal and the editorial position. I set up a meeting with the previous editor-in-chief and asked her about the responsibilities of the role, the scope of the challenges, and the experience of working as a managing editor. As I learned more about the position, I grew fascinated with the prospect of managing the publication myself and submitted my application to be the next editor-in-chief shortly after our meeting. You wrote last year for the SAIS Observer at the HNC. How does the CSR differ from the SAIS Observer? If I had to differentiate between the two, I would focus on the differences w...

Student blogger Brandy Darling (HNC Certificate '20 + SAIS MA '21) writes about a fulfilling book club she joined during quarantine that has been a great source of self-care and personal growth for her. Quarantine offered me much time to participate in many modes of self-care and reflection. I began meditating and doing yoga daily. Some days I would take calming baths and other days I would check up on friends and family. While reflecting, I realized that while I had been so focused on international issues, I was losing the strong attachment I have to my own people. Being an African American is the most important part of my identity and I realized that I needed new ways to engage with my community. Lo and behold, three of my college friends created a book club for black people to read books written by black authors. Our Elevated Shelf is an Instagram-ran book club “for millennials that are ready to elevate oneself through reading and discussion”. We meet weekly to dis...

Vasiliki (Vicki) Paloympis, HNC Certificate '10, utilizes her Chinese language and research skills as a specialist in ancient Chinese art and as associate vice president in the Chinese Works of Art department at Christie's. How did you become interested in China and decide to apply to the HNC? I grew up in Brooklyn, so from a young age I was exposed to a diversity of cultures and a plethora of languages. I always wanted to learn an East Asian language and decided to give Chinese a try in college. I loved studying the language and was particularly drawn to the logic and occasionally hidden meanings in the characters. After my first year of college, I spent a summer in Beijing and fell in love with the city. I enjoyed seeing the architecture, exploring museums and contemporary art districts, and there was a wonderful, creative vibrancy in the city that reminded me of the energy of the New York of my childhood. After my first experience living in China, I delved deeper into...

Student blogger Will Putzier (Certificate '20 + Johns Hopkin SAIS MA '21) is pleased to introduce you to Michael Hoffman (HNC '15), dedicated Career Services Coordinator for the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, based in both Nanjing and Washington, DC. Hi, Michael, can you tell us a little about yourself? I am the HNC career services coordinator here at the HNC. I also work for SAIS DC on the Global Careers team. I am their Asia Talent rep, and I run this office at the HNC. I split my time between both campuses, but try to spend most of my time in Nanjing while school is in session, and work out of DC during breaks and when school is not in session. I am also a HNC graduate myself. I did the certificate program here from 2014 to 2015. What activities are put on by the HNC Career Services office? We do all kinds of different activities. A few of the main ones are career coaching sessions, which cover topics that many students have including resume writing, networking, cover ...