On April 19th, Project Pengyou hosted a reception for the newly admitted students of Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). The event had over 50 attendees, including the Hopkins Beijing Alumni Club President John Ji, the Hopkins—Nanjing Center’s Career Counselor Robbie Shields, as well as other notable alumni from the US Embassy and consulting firms.

The reception allowed newly admitted students to socialize and network amongst themselves, as well as with Hopkins alumni. Students were able to share their anticipations for their upcoming study abroad experience, hopefully making new friends in the process. Thanks to the presence of accomplished alumni, new students were able to learn from past experiences of their predecessors. Students were eager to hear what alumni could share, from academics to travel tips.

The alumni also gave advice to the entire incoming class, urging students to meet as many international students as possible. They advised the students (who were mostly Chinese,) not only to befriend Americans, but other international students as well so that they can learn as much about the world as possible. Similarly, they advised students not to be content with only speaking English and Chinese, but to push themselves to learn additional languages, so that they may go on to work in developing nations as well. The world doesn’t stop beyond the boundaries of China or the U.S.

 “You should feel proud to be where you are…as you will be the next generation of world leaders”

Robbie Shields, HNC’s Career Counselor, gave some insightful comments to the audience, telling them, “The problem that many you will face will be the stress of choice, but you should consider yourselves lucky to face this struggle…you should [also] feel proud to be where you are…as you will be the next generation of world leaders”.

Be sure to check out more photo highlights from the event here!

Team Pengyou would like to extend our thanks to all the attendees, and especially to the Hopkins Beijing Alumni Club, John Ji, Ran Hu, and Zach Friedman, for co-organizing this event.

About Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS):

SAIS has programs in Washington D.C., Nanjing, and Bologna. In Nanjing, The Hopkins—Nanjing Center brings together American students and those from other countries (known collectively as international students) with Chinese students in three graduate program options. International students take most of their courses in Chinese taught by Chinese faculty, while Chinese students are taught by international faculty with courses primarily in English. This target language curriculum is a unique feature of the HNC program that gives our graduates a competitive edge in the increasingly dynamic world of Sino-global relations. To learn more about the Hopkins—Nanjing Center, and their programs, click here.