Making Global Connections at the Global Youth Trends Forum

Paula Andrea and Catalina González-Mojica at the Global Youth Trends Forum 

Paula Andrea González-Mojica and Catalina González-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, integrated circuits, and social media. 

Paula and Catalina were most intrigued by the topic of the 2022 forum: “Meta-Verse Era.” “Opportunities like this don’t show up every day,” Paula replied when asked about her decision to attend the forum, “I was convinced that it would enrich my knowledge about digitalization while also meeting other young people from Taiwan and around the world.”  

Catalina had lunch with a student from Tanzania, Asma Salim, who gave a speech about the importance of managing the influence of social media on our lives. They discussed their thoughts about young people studying abroad becoming unofficial representatives for their home countries. “We also discussed all the huge potential that developing countries have to incorporate artificial intelligence and IC to achieve technological innovation and sustainable development,” Catalina said. “We both plan to return to our homeland to be leaders of change.”

Paula shared a similar experience, describing an enlightening exchange with an AI engineer named Chadrick at the “World Café" in the Forum. “I had a really good time sharing my thoughts and listening to other peers from all around the world speak about their ideas,” she stated.  

Students present at the Forum

Paula and Catalina found the Forum relevant to their career goals. “As an environmental engineer, this opened a window of possibilities, especially within my future coursework,” Catalina said. “I consider AI as the only way to transition into smart and green cities. The answers to urban challenges can be found within an analog physical world where new technologies, software systems, connectivity, and computational models can help us analyze and implement more effective solutions.”  

Paula and Catalina González-Mojica are students in the Hopkins-Nanjing Center Certificate in Chinese and American Studies program, focusing their studies on Energy, Resources, and Environment (ERE). Paula studied civil engineering with an emphasis on structural design at Pontificia Javeriana University, and Catalina majored in environmental engineering at the University of the Andes. They are from Bogotá, Colombia, and are currently based in Taipei.

Written by Betty Thai, HNC Certificate + SAIS MAIR '23