Alumni Spotlight: Linda Zhang

Linda Zhang is a Policy Analyst at RAND. She holds a B.A. from Boston University and completed the HNC Certificate and SAIS M.A. in 2018. I got the chance to sit down with her while she was in Nanjing for the 2025 Shanghai-Nanjing Plus program, co-hosted by the HNC and Shanghai Institute for International Studies. She was part of a group of 20 young to mid-career professionals who traveled to Shanghai, Hefei, and Nanjing to discuss policy, technology, and economic transformations shaping modern China.

What led you to the HNC? Where did your interest in China begin?  

My interest in China stems from my background and my family. However, my career path was a little bit non-traditional; I started college wanting to major in music, doing violin performance at Boston University. At the same time, I was looking at IR, because when I thought about what I liked about music I realized it was playing music with others, being able to travel, being able to tour, and having that connection with people. But music school did not work out. It was not for me. So, I was looking at what else I could do and found the HNC.  

 

I spoke Chinese with my family growing up, which gave me a strong language background. This, along with the early 2010s business opportunities with China and my interest in IR lead me to double major with a business economics track. After I graduated from college, I taught in rural China, in Baoshan, Yunnan Province, for a year to gain experience living in the country and to try something new. From there, I applied to graduate school. While I was looking at a few of the well-known programs, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center and the SAIS program stood out to me because I wanted to live in China again. I wanted to take classes in Chinese and improve my language skills, while meeting Chinese students and studying at a Chinese university in a way that is much more integrated than in some other programs. 

 

Can you talk a little bit about what your career looks like? What is your current position and your first job after the program?  

In my first job after graduating from SAIS, I was a research assistant at the American Enterprise Institute for Derek Scissors, Nicholas Eberstadt, and Dan Blumenthal. They were very cross-disciplinary, and a unique aspect of being an RA at AEI is that you support multiple scholars. They all focused on different topics relating to economics, grand strategy, and security, so I was exposed to a variety of subjects. My time at HNC and SAIS prepared me for that position because at the HNC, you build your language skills, while SAIS DC has strong economics requirements. There were several other HNC alumni from my cohort who were interviewing for that job. Therefore, it was directly because of my education with the HNC and SAIS that I was able to get that position. 

 

I'm currently a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation. I enjoyed doing research at AEI, but part of the transition from a research assistant to a mid-career position is acquiring some policy or government experience before you return to research. I went to the United Nations for a few years and then worked on Capitol Hill. I switched to RAND at the end of last Congress and got back into the research space, which is what I always wanted.  

While speaking to other alumni about working at a think tank, I was told that at a certain point you need to get a PhD to advance your career. What has been your experience with this in the research sphere? 

There absolutely is a way to do the think tank track without a PhD, but I think it requires you to have more outside work experience; it is one or the other. The PhD is a path to get in as a think tank fellow, especially when you’re younger. It demonstrates that you know how to do research and that you can handle a large research project, which is primarily what think tanks are looking for. As long as you have other ways to demonstrate that, you don't necessarily need a PhD; it's an easier, more structured way to demonstrate that ability. But if you're at a job, for example, where you've led a larger report or team, think tanks would value that experience similarly if you could demonstrate what you worked on and can apply it to the research you're doing there. So, while not completely necessary, it is a hard jump to make. In DC, there are two types of career jumps that need to happen: the first is from an internship to a full-time job, and the second is from early career to mid- or senior-level roles.  

 

What about the program do you think prepared you the most for your career and kind of like where you've gone in your field?  

I think for the HNC, the language focus is the obvious factor. I was recently talking to another alum about how AI is going to change that advantage, but I would say that something AI can't easily replace is the actual experience of living in China. When you do policy research on China, even if you read Chinese, you’re looking at high-level policy documents on the internet or reading academic articles; you're really looking at things from 30,000 feet in the air. They are often not even the full picture. It's truly hard to internalize what is actually going on, how these policies are actually made, and how people on the ground are experiencing them; understanding just how China's bureaucracy and decision-making work. All of that requires you to live in the country.  

 

One regret I have in my career is that I haven't worked professionally in China. Although I taught English in Yunnan, that is a very different professional experience from working in a city like Beijing or Shanghai. Being able to spend nine months to up to two years in the country as a student is just so incredible, especially at a time when there are not many U.S. students coming to China. I think that will be the competitive advantage for HNC students in the future.  

 

What other advice do you have for current students? 

My advice would be to make friends, talk to people, and talk to your Chinese cohort. Try to do as much as possible at the HNC and in Nanjing; go out and see the city. I know that it's challenging to live in another country, especially with the nature of the program at the HNC. Because of these challenges, you need to take care of yourself. I used to go on runs on Xuanwu Lake to relax and de-stress. You should go traveling when you can.  

 

One specific piece of advice that I've been telling students [when traveling by train] is to take the old sleeper cars. I'm super nostalgic for them as they were an integral part of my childhood. I feel you interact with a different group of people you wouldn't normally interact with in China. And, you get to go to bed and wake up in Beijing. It's definitely a cool experience.  

 

I think that students will look back at this time very fondly. This is my first time back since I graduated in 2017. It felt like coming home. One of the beautiful things about the HNC is that, for as much as China has changed, there's a lot about the HNC that stays the same. You know that you are able to walk back to a place in China that you're so comfortable in and recognize, having both Chinese and English friends, professors, and mentors who will support you. It's really incredible.  

 

What is your favorite memory from your time at the HNC?  

I think it's hard to beat dragon boating. It's exciting because it requires you to work with the entire cohort. It’s a group training experience where everyone is working hard; you practice together, complete extra workouts in the gym, and create uniforms. On race day, it’s incredible to be a part of the city and its celebration. I think this HNC tradition is really special.  

 

Interview written and conducted by Kasey Salmons HNC Certificate + SAIS MAIR '27