A Focus on China and Latin America

Maria Belen Wu
HNC Certificate in Chinese and American Studies ’18
Master of Arts ’19
First Year: Hopkins-Nanjing Center
Home Country: Argentina

Maria was a freshman at Johns Hopkins University when she learned about the Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC) through the five-year JHU-SAIS BA/MA program. After visiting the HNC, she decided to apply knowing fully well by that point that she wanted to focus on China studies.

Maria has always been interested in China-Latin America relations because it is becoming an increasingly relevant topic in her native Argentina. She looked into taking a couple of China-focused classes at Johns Hopkins and really delved into the topic through research and coursework.

In Nanjing, China, where Maria began her studies, the HNC offered her many unique classes that she believes she would not have been able to take elsewhere. One aspect that she thinks is important and even more special about the program is the entire community, a rewarding environment where students have the opportunity to deeply connect with Chinese roommates and students.

This summer, Maria worked as a summer analyst at J.P. Morgan in country risk management. Maria was located in the New York office, which particularly deals with political and economic risk analysis in Latin America and Western Europe. Knowledge about China is relevant to the job, since many of the projects and investments taking place in Latin America are China-funded. After her nine-week internship, she will be continuing her graduate studies at school’s Washington, DC campus, where she will be concentrating in Latin American studies with a specialization in international finance. Maria will be joining JPMorgan full time upon graduating.