Led by HNC Career Services Manager Hailey McGleam, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center recently held its first-ever career trek to Tokyo, Japan—an exciting new addition to the school’s global career development programming. The trek, which took place from April 2–4, brought together fifteen students: ten from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center and five from the Washington, DC, campus. This was a unique opportunity for students from multiple SAIS campuses to connect abroad. Learning from and connecting with SAIS alumni in a global setting was especially impactful, as students were able to see first-hand the various career paths available in the East Asia region. The trek coincided with the week of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center’s spring break, which allowed students to participate in activities across five different prefectures in Tokyo: Roppongi, Kioi-cho (纪尾井町), Toranomon (虎门), Nihonbashi (日本桥), Nishi-Shinbashi (西新桥), and Marunouchi (丸之内).
The first trek meeting took place with Verybest Law Offices located in Roppongi (六本木), Tokyo, where students met with HNC alumna Xiaoyuan Li. As one of Japan’s largest career firms, with 75 offices across Japan and more than 300 lawyers on retainer, Verybest Law Offices offers multilingual services spanning the specializations of general corporate law, joint ventures, and capital markets. It was especially beneficial to hear from Xiaoyuan Li about her experience working for this firm as a foreigner, her outlook on Japanese work culture, and her advice for utilizing Chinese in a multilingual work environment. For the international law concentration students at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, this was a great opportunity to inquire about practicing law as a foreigner in Japan, and what steps to take.
The next stop was CIEE Tokyo in Kioichō (纪尾井町), Tokyo. As one of the top study abroad organizations, the CIEE program offers the opportunity for students to study, intern, and participate in intensive language programs abroad. CIEE Tokyo is currently one of the largest programs under CIEE. At their Tokyo office, students were able to hear from employees, both new and tenured, about how their past work experiences led them into international education. Learning about how the education sector has transformed over the years from more traditional roles to more international and tech-oriented positions was a great reminder of the dynamic nature of global education programs like CIEE.
The last company visit on April 3rd was with APCO, a company that has met with SAIS students on previous treks. APCO is a global advisory and advocacy consultancy firm that specializes in advising companies in the energy, financial, government, health, and nonprofit sectors. At the APCO Tokyo office, students were able to learn about the day-to-day responsibilities of the team, such as clientele communications, workload, and project management. The APCO office differed from the companies visited in our previous trek visits as it had a close-knit work environment. The opportunity to gain insights into the current state of global advisory services and the intricacies of the long-term consulting process was great for the students, especially those focusing on global politics and business.
The next day of the Trek, on April 4th, students visited Aurora Energy Research in Nishi-Shinbashi (西新桥), Tokyo. Aurora is a data-driven energy market analysis and consultancy firm that specializes in the analysis and advisory of utilizing renewable energy sources globally. At the event, a SAIS alum who had returned to Japan post-graduation spoke about his past work experience and current position at Aurora, and an HR representative provided career opportunities for growing within the company. The Aurora Energy Research visit provided valuable insights into the growing market of renewable energy usage in Japan and the goals of the company to increase their participation in competitive global markets. For the students in the ERE concentration (Energy, Resources, and Environment), this trek meeting was especially useful in visualizing future career paths.
The last company visit was with Intralink, also located in Nishi-Shinbashi (西新桥), Tokyo. Intralink is an international business development and innovation consulting firm that is currently expanding in East Asian markets such as mainland China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Intralink was established to assist American and European firms in providing manufacturing companies in Japan with essential materials and products needed for their operations, and currently has over 130 employees spanning 20 offices in 12 countries, with the majority of Intralink’s employees being multilingual and operating outside of Asia. Students had the opportunity to speak with the Project Director about the company’s goals in expanding their representation of Japanese small businesses and their hiring process.
That day, students also participated in smaller breakout sessions with alumni from Mizuho, Tata Consultancy Services, and KKR & Co. In these breakout sessions, students gained a deeper insight into finance, banking, tech consulting, and investment firms. During the Q&A sessions, the alumni presented their previous employment that brought them to where they are today, gave their advice for navigating internships and jobs, and clarified the language requirement needed to work for their companies. This trek meeting was great for all students to see how various sectors interact in the global market and how they can utilize their language skills, coursework, and professional skills development in international development consulting, investment firms, and financial services.
On Saturday, the Trek concluded in Meguro City (目黑区) at the Happy Hour event at Baird Beer Nakameguro Taproom. The Nakameguro Taproom has been a popular destination for SAIS alumni, students, and prospective students in the past. In this session, students met with various alumni in sectors ranging from radioactive materials and energy and e-commerce to higher education and journalism. One of the alumni was Ariko Ibe, a 1985 graduate who serves as the head of the Japanese SAIS Alumni Association. After the happy hour, students and alumni had the chance to walk around the local area to explore the beautiful cherry blossoms before saying their goodbyes and heading to the train station.
