Alumni Profile: Matt Geraci

Matt Geraci, HNC Certificate '16 + SAIS MA '17, is a Research Associate & Program Officer at the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS) in Washington, DC.

How did your experience at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC) and Johns Hopkins SAIS together prepare you for your position that you have now?   

Before the HNC, I hadn't taken any coursework in energy and the environment and hadn’t really thought of a way to combine those ideas. The HNC is where I started to do that. Once I got to SAIS DC, I was able to take this interest to the next step through a practicum where you’re teamed up with four other students to work with either a company or a nonprofit. I was paired up with an environmental non-profit called Clean Water Action. They wanted us to produce a research report, organize a panel discussion, and help them get a huge background and understanding of the environmental impacts to underground sources of drinking water from an oil and gas recovery technique similar to fracking called "enhanced oil recovery”. It was a combination of a consulting type role (where a client comes to you and presents the problem for recommendations), and a think tank role (pulling together primary and secondary source research and trying to take an objective look at the facts as much as one possibly can).  

What was your journey after Johns Hopkins SAIS to the position you have now?  

Definitely a complicated one. After SAIS, I thought of the world of environmental non-profits. I really liked the work I did with Clean Water Action, so I sent my application out to similar organizations and got an internship with a non-profit called Oceana. I was on their energy campaign team looking at offshore drilling, offshore oil and gas survey techniques, etc. I didn’t feel satisfied–it was an advocacy group, but I wanted my work to remain objective. After that, I worked for a US-government funded, international development organization. While there, I kept networking like everyone in DC does, and at a think-tank event, I bumped into an old HNC classmate of mine. He introduced me to someone who worked at a think tank who just so happened to be leaving his role in a couple weeks and was looking for someone to replace him. That chance meeting would lead to the job I have now.  

Do you still keep in contact with people that you went to the HNC with?  

All the time! After graduating from SAIS, I had a HNCer as a roommate. In my HNC cohort, together there were about 15 of us that stayed in DC after graduation. Some have gone into the State Department's Foreign Service, government, some in the consulting world, different types of non-profits, and defense, all in the DC area. Whenever it’s one of our birthdays, we all try to get together. Even in the early days of the pandemic, we would host virtual happy hours. I had other friends at SAIS, but I definitely remained closest to my HNC program classmates.  

What advice would you give to current or future HNC students?  

I would definitely harp on learning the technical skillsets. At the end of the day, anyone can write a policy paper, but when it comes to the quantitative outlook, not as many people can use programs like STATA and R to bring statistical analysis into their economic study. As much as you can, expose yourself to some of these unique types of programs and courses, like corporate finance. Think about how you can apply what you learn in classes to your research.   

Maybe you want to work for an international development bank like the World Bank; try to look at what types of roles they offer and figure out the soft skills and hard skills that people at those organizations have. If there are gaps in your studies or professional experience, think about ways to fill them. While in DC, get on every mailing list you can, be notified on every event within your topics of interest, go to as many events as you can and introduce yourself. While you’re a student, it puts you in a unique position to receive positive feedback from others.   

Meet our 2020-2021 Student Blogger, Hannah Sorenson (MAIS '22)

Meet our new student blogger for the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, Hannah Sorenson! Hannah (MAIS '22) will be joining veteran blogger, Brandy Darling (HNC Certificate '20 + SAIS MA '21), in sharing her experiences studying at the HNC throughout the academic year.

Hello, all! My name is Hannah Sorenson, and I am a MAIS student at the HNC concentrating in China Studies. Although presently located in my home state of Minnesota, I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to join my classmates and the rest of the HNC community in Nanjing. I graduated from St. Olaf College in 2019 with a BA in Political Science, Asian Studies, and Chinese.  

While much of my life took place far from China, opportunities to study abroad in Shanghai, farm in Japan’s Tochigi prefecture, and conduct research with WWF-Hong Kong instilled in me a passion for interdisciplinary academic exploration and intentional learning communities. I first applied to the Hopkins-Nanjing Center as a college senior, eager to join a community whose stories punctuated my undergraduate experience; however, in an effort to challenge myself, I delayed my enrollment and moved to Indonesia as a Global Community Fellow with VIA Programs. While working as a journal editor at the University of Jember’s Centre for Human Rights, Multiculturalism, and Migration, formal and informal discussion of anti-Chinese and anti-communist sentiment in Indonesia’s political development captivated me. After only two months in Indonesia, I knew I was ready to join the HNC community.  

I am currently taking four courses in addition to the bilingual MAIS tutorial: Anthropology and China Studies; East Asian Regionalism (taught in English); Social Issues of China’s Modernization; and Contemporary Chinese Film, Society, and Culture. Social science has dominated my study of China, so I am particularly excited to learn about contemporary Chinese film (and re-watch《霸王别姬》for the third time and for course credit).  
 

Being off-campus in the US necessitates intentionality towards not only language practice and study habits, but also building connections with classmates and professors. As many of us continue daydreaming about Nanjing, I am excited to watch our cohort community grow and share the experience with the HNC blog!  

JHU’s Black Student Union: An Event to Remember

Student blogger, Brandy Darling (HNC Certificate '20 + SAIS MA '21) writes about her experience with joining a new club and attending an outside event with them. Her attendance led to an expanded network and enhanced her experience at SAIS.

The transition from the HNC to SAIS DC paired with the challenges of a virtual environment led me to find new ways to interact with students at SAIS. The best method? Join clubs! There are a bunch to choose from: career clubs, regional clubs, social clubs, and more. The main club I am associated with is the Black Student Union (BSU) at SAIS DC. As a new club, I have attended amazing events hosted and cohosted by BSU, such as a webinar targeting mental health, featuring a calming meditation session. I also enjoy the newsletters sent by BSU, which feature news updates, upcoming events, and great career opportunities. 

One event in particular left a lasting impression on me. With the help of SAIS and BSU, I attended The International Association of Black Professionals in International Affairs’ (BPIA) Diversity in International Affairs Virtual Conference and Career Fair. BPIA is a non-profit membership association that “aims to develop and expand professional opportunities for African-Americans and members of the African Diaspora”. I spent the day virtually with over 500 other professionals and scholars via a unique conference software. I explored panels on topics of international development and multilateral organizations, participated in career fair booths to engage with hiring managers, and the best part: the networking session. BPIA counted “over 250 connections made through the 1-on-1 speed networking feature”.

Before I boast about the networking session, I should say that this was one of the most inspiring conferences I have ever been to. I came into the conference comfortable because I knew other students from BSU were also attending, so I didn’t feel like I was alone. I also knew that this conference was made to “connect diverse talent to international opportunities” so I took this as the time to meet people who were doing what I aspire to do. I also made it a goal to branch out and see what the conference had to offer. The best way of doing that was by meeting people through the networking session. I used this conference feature to do a few rounds of speed networking, and met an undergraduate student who I gave advice to about choosing a graduate program. I also met a mid-career professional looking to move into a more security-focused international role. Most importantly, I met a SAIS alumna! She was very eager to hear updates about SAIS and I was excited to learn about her journey after SAIS. By the end of the conference, I made lasting connections and learned about opportunities from various companies of interest.

Overall, it was nice to attend such an awe-inspiring event with the Black Student Union at SAIS. I applaud BSU leadership for all their hard work in creating a new organization and congratulate them on all that they have accomplished in such a short amount of time. Though I only highlighted one opportunity given by BSU, there are many more examples of how BSU and other clubs across campus are taking this virtual environment by storm. The collaboration between clubs alone is a great way to meet people from all corners of SAIS. I look forward to making more connections with current students, professors and many more alumni!

Written by Brandy Darling, HNC Certificate '20 + SAIS MA '21.