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ALUMNI PERSPECTIVE ON NETWORKING:
An Interview with Thalia Kahn
Recently, Thalia Kahn (MA in Communication, 2022) shared her thoughts about making connections both while at JHU and after graduation. Thalia was one of the co-founders of the Graduate Student Communication Organization (the predecessor to HopCommNet). She has over ten years of communication experience working with technology and engineering focused organizations and is currently the communications lead for Partnership on AI.
What motivated you to form a student organization focused on communication?
“What I was really looking for when I was applying to graduate programs was a community of people who I can learn from or who I can help out in, you know, my career and in their careers,” said Kahn. “I didn't feel that automatically when I joined the program, I think largely because it was a fully online program at the time. I felt like we need to make better use of the tools available to us, you know, getting on Zoom, networking events, and building spaces to connect more.”
Kahn explained that even after her first semester, she felt like that piece was missing, and felt disconnected from the larger Johns Hopkins community. “If I couldn't find that connection, if I couldn't find those communities, I wanted to build it so that we could all partake in getting to know each other,” she explained. “So that was the main driving force. I just felt like it was a perfect opportunity to go out and get what I want out of the program.”
Kahn further commented, “We’re a community of communicators. Why are we not able to communicate with each other more often, and create those opportunities to do so?”
What about after graduation – how have you stayed connected?
Kahn recently joined the Johns Hopkins alumni network, which has opened new opportunities to connect. Another graduate reached out to her on behalf of the Alumni Engagement Committee for 'Women of Hopkins', asking if she would co-host an event in her local area. Kahn was immediately on board. Although she hadn't participated in alumni activities since graduating, she saw the invitation as a welcome opportunity to jump back in. The result was a cohosted event in Pasadena that brought together about 15 alumni from a variety of programs and career paths.
“It was just a lovely time,” Kahn recalled. Attendees shared memories from their time at Hopkins, talked about their current work, and made new professional connections. For Kahn, the evening even included a surprise reunion with a former colleague from her time at NASA.
Beyond the conversations, the event offered a renewed sense of community. Kahn appreciated the chance to stay connected both personally and professionally—especially through LinkedIn—and credited the Hopkins alumni engagement team for helping make the event run smoothly. Energized by the experience, she said she's excited to stay involved and support future alumni events.
Can you describe how the connections you made have been valuable?
Kahn stressed the value of building connections, emphasizing the importance of mutual support, shared learning, and long-term community. She shared examples of staying in touch with former board members and classmates. In one instance, she met with a fellow alum who was looking for a job in AI communication. Since Kahn is currently in that field, she was able to review her friend's resume and give advice on positioning.
At the same time, Kahn has also been able to give back by sharing opportunities with her broader Hopkins network. When approached about a communications role she wasn't interested in pursuing herself, she passed it along to alumni and current students, reinforcing the idea that a strong network benefits everyone involved.
She also highlighted the value of connections that don't have a transactional purpose at all. Through alumni events, Kahn has built relationships with graduates from a wide range of disciplines—many outside her own field. While these connections may never lead directly to a job, they have opened the door to new perspectives, meaningful conversations, and continued learning. “It doesn’t always have to be about getting a job,” she explained. “Sometimes it's about making friends, learning from each other, and having a community you can lean on. Being able to engage with such a community who has similar experiences and knows you on a different level outside of work can be really beneficial."
Kahn continued, “I think having that shared background just makes it that much easier. And just knowing that I can also provide resources for my community makes me feel like we actually built something more than just a degree at Hopkins, you know?”
Thalia Kahn can be found on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/thaliakhan/. Some of her current work can be seen on the Partnership in AI website, for which she leads editorial strategy.
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