Sosan Afghan grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan, but at the young age of 16 left Kabul for Kyrgyzstan to continue her education. She enjoys community service and has volunteered in projects like Cultural Diversity Project, in women empowerment movements such as Every-woman Everywhere and has served as a team leader in AIESEC, a youth leadership NGO. Sosan is passionate about documentary making, and has filmed a short movie about Afghan immigrants in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She studied Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA). Her thesis focused on the global shift from print to digital media and its consequences. Her enthusiasm, interest and curiosity to learn more about the Chinese culture as well as China's emerging role in world politics and world economics has led her to pursue a degree in Chinese studies (Literature and Culture) at Peking University.

Paulo Piá de Andrade studied Law at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), in his hometown Curitiba in Brazil. While concentrating on International and Human Rights Law, his broad academic interests have also led him to attend classes on Linguistics, Cultural Anthropology and Political Science. By the same token, he undertook an exchange semester at Universität Leipzig, where he examined Walter Benjamin's theory of art and first came into contact with China Studies. Ever since held in thrall to the daunting complexity of the Chinese language and the richness of its culture, Paulo's personal interest in China gained professional dimension as he decided to pursue his long-held aspiration of entering the Brazilian Diplomatic Service. Paulo is confident that the concentration on Politics and International Relations at the Yenching Academy will provide him the means to fulfil his professional aim of one day contributing to the strengthening of relations between Brazil and China.

Marketa Bajgerova, a Prague-born living in the UK, is a Politics & History graduate from the University of Glasgow and an external research associate at the Centre for the EU-Asia Relations in Prague. As an aspiring researcher and policy analyst, Marketa represented her home institute at international conferences and policy advisory meetings in Slovenia, Germany, Greece, the UK, and Myanmar. A firm believer in an interdisciplinary approach to social sciences, the scope of her research interests ranges from political and cultural theory to the Northeast Asian politics. During her endeavours at the Yenching Academy, Marketa researches in the area of Politics and International Relations with the vision of merging her theoretical background in post-structuralism, critical cultural theory and political psychology with the socio-political dynamics of Northeast Asia. As her focus has been predominantly on China-Korea relations, Marketa's ambition is to further examine China's role in the diplomatic future of the peninsula, research the politically significant area at China's border with the DPRK, and explore Confucian tradition's impact on the diplomatic conduct in the region.

Daniel Benson is a British national and graduated from Clare College, University of Cambridge in 2018 with a Bachelor's in Economics. His interest in China stems from a great love of Chinese culture, language, history and cuisine, as well as thinking critically about China's position in the global economy; a country that has developed whilst not subscribing to the ideals dictated by dominant economic theory. Daniel has travelled extensively within China and beyond, including working abroad with international students, including many Peking University students, and seeks to contribute to the relationship between the Yenching Academy and the wider university. Daniel is keen to put into practice the insights he learns about the Chinese economy and business environment into a career in Economic consultancy. He hopes that the cross-cultural communication and leadership taught at the Yenching Academy will help him to achieve these goals with greater confidence and conviction.

Sofia Biasin, born and raised in Italy, completed her undergraduate studies in Modern Languages and Literatures for Publishing at University of Verona, specializing in English literature and history of art. She gained extensive experience in publishing, working as a copy editor for a publishing house and writing for local magazines. In 2014, she was granted the Erasmus Scholarship to study modern languages at University of Szeged, Hungary, where she also took part in the city's Confucius Institute's activities. Sofia recently graduated cum laude in China and Global Studies from University of Turin, with a thesis on China's role as a security provider in Central Asia. She had the opportunity to spend one year at Beijing Foreign Studies University, thus obtaining a double Master's degree. She worked as editor at the internationally-run Time Out magazine in Beijing; collaborated with think tank Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, and volunteered for Chinese NGO China Youth Development Foundation during the 2017 Yao Ming Basketball Camp. At Yenching Academy, she wants to investigate China's neighborhood diplomacy in Central and South Asia, and Chinese engagement in multilateral organizations.

Jovana Bogojevic, from Montenegro, enrolled at the Music Academy of the University of Montenegro at the age of 16. At 18, she studied Chinese language at Central China Normal University in Wuhan and a year after enrolled at the BA program in Music Performance at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She is fluent in several languages and world instruments, and while regularly performing across China, she composes chamber music for the Flute and Guzheng. Throughout the years she interned at the Women's Rights Center in Montenegro, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Montenegro to the People's Republic of China. She spends her time at the Yenching Academy researching the Sino-Montenegrin relationship and China's growing influence in the Balkans. Jovana will also examine foreign influences on Montenegrin politics, particularly as they have materialized through art, media and on-going issues with cultural identity. She has received more than 30 awards so far, among which are the “Outstanding Overseas Student Studying in China” awarded by the Ministry of Education of the PRC and “Extraordinary Success Achieved During Studies” awarded by the mayor's office of the old Montenegrin capital Cetinje.

Péter Boros is a Hungarian national who completed his graduate studies in International Relations at Central European University in Budapest. He obtained his BA diploma in Chinese Studies from Eötvös Loránd University, where he focused on ancient Chinese philosophy and religions, particularly on Daoist and Confucian musical thought. During his studies, he spent one year at Hangzhou Normal University as a Confucius Scholarship recipient, deepening his cultural knowledge and language skills. This first-hand experience triggered his interest in China’s contemporary features, and its growing global influence, therefore his current research analyzes the impact of Chinese private FDI on the Ethiopian economy under the framework of South-South cooperation. While at Yenching Academy, he aims to acquire deeper understanding of Chinese domestic perceptions of international relations and the country’s growing role in the international system, especially on issues of global governance. After graduation, he plans to work on Sino-Hungarian and Chinese-EU relations.

Megan Cansfield is a British-American dual citizen and 2017 graduate of the University of Michigan with majors in Political Science, International Studies, and Asian Studies. At Michigan, Megan served as the Asia Regional Editor of the Michigan Journal of International Affairs and wrote her honors thesis analyzing the intersections between US-China strategic trust-building and security cooperation on North Korea. She also studied in five Chinese cities and interned with the US Embassy Beijing, US Consulate-General Guangzhou, and US-China grassroots exchange organization Project Pengyou. Megan was a Fulbright research fellow in China at Yanbian University where she conducted an independent project investigating the influence of the Korean Peninsula security crisis on US-China relations. Following her studies in Politics and International Relations at the Yenching Academy, Megan aspires to continue fostering Sino-American cooperation and engagement in East Asia at the intergovernmental level through a career in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.

Born and raised in Mexico City, José Pablo Ceballos Cantú is a graduate of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) where he studied Chemical Engineering, graduating with Honors. His main goal is the application of technology for benefit of society. For the past 3 years, Jose has worked as an associate in a solar Silicon Valley startup based in Mexico named Bright. José also has a technical degree as an emergency medical technician from Red-Cross belonging to the emergency first responder force since 2011 and the rescue diving team since 2013. His first interest in China came on a college exchange, where he studied business and management courses at Beijing Foreign Studies University (北京外国语大学). José intends to understand in a deeper way Chinese culture to tap its human talent looking to form bridges between China and Latin America.

Cao Lu comes from Jiangsu, China. She studied Journalism at Renmin University of China, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Literature. She achieved an excellent academic record and was selected to exchange to National Chengchi University at Taiwan for one semester. She served as the Vice Editor-in-Chief of the Youth RUC - the largest and most professional press in RUC. She also devoted herself to social activities. She has previously interned at Xinhua News Agency, Southern Weekly, Bytedance (Toutiao) and GGV Capital. At the Yenching Academy, Cao Lu concentrates in Economics and Management, hoping to deepen her understanding of media economics.