Jo Ling Kent, a 2002 Hopkins High School Graduate and current Fox Business Reporter, recently visited Hopkins High School. During her visit, she spoke to students involved in The Royal Page, Journalism and Propel.

Kent’s interest in journalism began after high school. While at Hopkins, she was never on the student-run newspaper, The Royal Page.

“I actually didn’t intend to be a journalist. I got very lucky. I was on a Fulbright scholarship in China, and I was looking for a way to share research on an ongoing basis, so I started to write articles for online magazines,” Kent said.

While living in China, Kent applied for a translator position with ABC news in Beijing. In addition to her translator duties, Kent was able to interview and report. Kent’s career has been evolving ever since.

After receiving a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Rice University, Kent furthered her education at The London School of Economics. Kent acknowledges the advantages of being a world learner.

“My mom taught me Chinese when I was young. I think it has been a pretty distinct advantage. I was able to work for CNN in China at a fairly young age,” Kent said.

Kent currently works for Fox Business in New York, where she uses her fluency in Mandarin on a frequent basis.

“Being bilingual has also given me a great opportunity at Fox Business to report on China, who has one of the most important economies in the world. I have also been able to build sources and do original reporting on that front. It has opened my eyes to a lot of different experiences,” Kent said.

Early in her career, Kent had the opportunity to cover the 2008 Beijing Olympics. “I was able to witness a country put together the olympics in a very special way. It was interesting to look at the underbelly of the country and see the people who didn’t benefit from the Olympics. It was important to hear their stories,” said Kent.

Kent also has experiences in politics.

“I have had the opportunity to spend day in and day out on the campaign trail. I was able to get to know the candidates on many levels: how they spoke, what they believed in, and what the voters thought about them. It was very satisfying because I got a chance to see things that potentially everyone wasn’t able to see,” Kent said.

Soon after these early experiences in her career, Kent began to focus on business reporting. Kent is passionate about the future of business.

“I am really interested in how people integrate technology into their everyday lives and how companies have a hand in creating that technology, where it comes from, and how it makes money. I also look into what technology means for our everyday lives,” Kent said.

Through Fox Business, Kent has had the opportunity to cover major social media outlets such as Twitter and Instagram.

“I have been covering the Twitter IPO, which is a big challenge and a very satisfying experience. I also recently interviewed the CEO of Instagram, Kevin Systrom,” Kent said.

Kent has also had the opportunity to speak with executives of American companies who are going global.

“I recently interviewed the CEO of Shake Shack on their global expansion into the Middle East and Russia,” Kent said.

During her Hopkins High School career, Kent participated in Track, Student Government and Debate.

“I loved my experience at Hopkins High School. There were great teachers and opportunities that I was able to take advantage of. Hopkins High School helped set me up for success,” Kent said.