From D.C. and Nanjing to Singapore: Students Explore Career Paths with Alumni Support
On Jan. 11, students from SAIS’ Washington, D.C. campus and the Hopkins-Nanjing Center converged in Singapore for a five-day excursion where they attended Foresight 2025 alongside global leaders and visited cutting-edge companies in the region, hosted by SAIS alumni, to explore potential career paths.
“Engaging with students beyond the D.C. campus and connecting with those at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center was invaluable,” said second-year student Caroline Carrothers.The career trek began with the highly anticipated annual forum in Asia, Foresight, where students had the unique privilege of joining experts from academia, industry, and nonprofit organizations to discuss the evolving dynamics and strategic importance of U.S.-ASEAN relations. Presented by SAIS in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Whiting School of Engineering, the interdisciplinary agenda spanned AI, cybersecurity, governance, global mental health, and U.S.-ASEAN economic cooperation.
During a panel on the second day of the trip, alumni offer students advice on leveraging their SAIS education.
"So many students choose SAIS because they know, in today's economy, networking is key to their future careers," said Hailey McGleam, SAIS’ manager of career learning and employer engagement. The alumni panel following Foresight gave students the opportunity to hear directly from alumni on their experience pursuing geopolitical careers and how the private and government sectors, as well as academia, intersect in their work.
SAIS’ far-reaching network of 24,000 alumni are a vital resource for students as they prepare for the job market. Not only is that network large, but it is also eager to support the next generation of SAIS leaders: "These engagements help me stay connected with the wider world and allow me to give back to a community that has given much more to me," said one alum.
Students visit Citibank, Accenture, ByteDance, Vriens & Partners, Control Risks, and the U.S. embassy in Singapore.
The next three days, students delved into consulting, risk analysis and management, public policy, and the intricacies of government relations and business in the region while visiting Citibank, Accenture, ByteDance, Vriens & Partners, Control Risks, the U.S. embassy in Singapore.
"The trek prompted me to think deeply about a career in the region and hearing from alumni who have navigated similar journeys makes me confident that Singapore is a place I want to live and work," said Carrothers. "I'm now taking steps toward that goal, thanks to this experience.”
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