Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

Aside from keeping up with my academics, I would say without a doubt that my second-largest focus at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center has been building my professional network. Now, this is more important for me than ever since I’m a second-year MAIS student. I believe putting effort into building your network while you’re still a student is the best investment you can make in yourself for the long-term. Many of my tips you might have heard before, but I have personal, proven (anecdotal) success. As you begin your journey at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, here are my tips for successfully building your network: 1. Reach out to HNC and Johns Hopkins SAIS alumni! I have had a great response rate from alumni, and most are extremely willing to hop on a call. Make sure you’re connected to Global Career Services and the various Career Services counselors on LinkedIn so you have a few mutual connections with people, which provides context for a connection request.  2. Calls are most often “inf...

When I first lived abroad as a student in China five years ago, the thrill of novel sensory phenomena combined with the creation of new personal rituals left an impression that is difficult to replicate. Before enrolling at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in Fall 2022, I lived and worked in Shanghai a total of four years. While I had become comfortable with my life in Shanghai over time, some of my most lasting memories of the city were from the first few months living there. As many times in the years since as I foolishly weaved my shared bike between vehicles while in the seas of organized chaos that are Shanghai’s downtown streets, my early roadside adventures in Hongkou District（虹口区）half a decade ago will always remain among the most memorable. Indeed, moving oneself to an entirely new country, particularly when as far off as a separate continent in the opposite hemisphere, is an experience of enormous scope. Surely many of those reading this article have already enjoyed a stint of stud...

Juliette Devillard, Certificate ’17, is the founder of London Climate Connection. Juliette looks back on her time in Nanjing to discuss the valuable connections she made, from friends to faculty, as well as how certain experiences at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center have informed her work and professional interactions today.  While reflecting on her time at the HNC, Juliette emphasized the value of living in China, the challenge of learning the language and the host of interesting things that occurred on a day-to-day basis. These experiences were influential in terms of enhancing her confidence, learning how to navigate unknown situations, and interacting with people from different backgrounds. Juliette spoke fondly of the class she took with Professor Hua Tao, and the invaluable friends she made at the HNC. She was fascinated by Professor Hua Tao’s teaching style, and really enjoyed how nuanced the understandings of the content he taught were, making her feel like she always learned mor...

Yingting Fu is a MAIS student and ERE concentrator at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. She is currently based in Nanjing, China. Yingting spoke with us about balancing coursework, internships, and writing her thesis. Yingting and her corgi, 旺仔 Can you tell us about yourself and your background?  During my undergraduate studies I studied at Pennsylvania State University, majoring in English and Chinese. That’s when I first heard of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. I wanted to try out the program, so I first went on a foreign exchange program at Nanjing University for two weeks in the summer. I liked it so much that I applied to the HNC, where I am currently concentrating on Energy, Resources and Environment (ERE). What motivated you to apply to the HNC and how did you choose your concentration? When I first heard about the Hopkins-Nanjing Center MAIS degree, it stood out as a really strong program that allows you to study in China and get in-depth cultural immersion. Typically, the cohor...

Paula Andrea and Catalina Gonz á lez-Mojica at the Global Youth Trends Forum   Paula Andrea Gonz á lez -Mojica  and Catalina Gonz á lez -Mojica , two Hopkins-Nanjing Center students studying in Taipei this year under a Johns Hopkins SAIS visiting arrangement ,   first learned about the 2022 Global Youth Trends Forum in mid-July, when the SAIS Global Careers Office shared information about the event . The Global Youth Trends Forum is a four-day event hosted by Taiwan’s Youth Development Administration to advance international exchange between young people . The event included a two-day trip to Taipei’s Beitou district , Guanxi Township of Hsinchu County, technological research centers, and the TSMC Museum of Innovation . The Forum included panels about the metaverse , artificial intelligence , i ntegrated circuits , and social media.   Paula and Catalina were most intrigued by the topic of the 2022 f orum: “Meta-Verse Era . ” “ Opportunities like this d...