Jean Shen

Based in New York, Jean is a Software Engineer at Dow Jones, one of the world’s largest business and financial news companies. Her role involves writing code to develop front-end features and functionality for the Wall Street Journal online domain.

Previously, she worked as a Market Analyst and Business Liaison Manager at Global Sources, a B2B platform. During her time there, she had the opportunity to lead the Global Sources Private Sourcing Events team in Shenzhen, where she helped top international retailers find the right suppliers.

As Jean advanced in her career with Global Sources, she aspired to larger roles which led her to pursue her MBA. While taking some time off after earning her degree as a Hinrich Scholar from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, she became deeply interested in technology.

Her first role in this field was as a Customer Engineer at Mode Analytics in New York where she provided solutions to data analysts or data scientists that enabled them to streamline workflows and share actionable data across their organizations.

Always eager to learn, Jean envisions herself immersed in new technologies and continuous learning in the future.

Embracing diversity

Jean’s academic journey has been like a mosaic. It is made up of many parts, every bit shiny and distinctive, and yet cohesive with her Asian roots. She was studying at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies when she applied for the Hinrich Foundation Global Trade Leader Scholarship.

“I was one of the lucky people to have Hinrich Foundation award me with a full scholarship to finish my final two years at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Journalism Studies.”

Jean (front row, 4^th from left) with her friends and classmates at Thunderbird’s Asia Cultural Night, Fall 2007

After graduation in 2005, she joined B2B eCommerce platform, Global Sources, as a Market Analyst. As she progressed in her career with Global Sources, Jean realized she had to better equip herself to assume bigger roles. In 2007, she applied for Thunderbird School of Global Management and was granted a scholarship offered by the Thunderbird Alumni Fund for Asian Students and the Hinrich Foundation.

Jean said “My experiences in the US had a huge impact on my life, particularly after seeing how everyone is treated equally despite differences in race and culture. As I learned to appreciate other cultures, somewhere along the road, I learned to appreciate my own culture as well.”

Life-long learner

Currently employed as a Customer Engineer at Mode Analytics based in New York, Jean leverages her technical skills in JavaScript, CSS, HTML, SQL, Python and API to provide customers, who are usually data analysts or data scientists, with solutions for using Mode tools in their business analysis. It helps streamline analyst workflows and makes it possible to share insightful and actionable data across organizations.

Jean (3^rd from left) with the Private Sourcing Event team at the Global Sources Hong Kong Trade Show, October 2009

“I think right now is a winning moment in my career: I am able to maintain a strong work-life balance. I have a happy family, my husband has always been very supportive, and I am a mother of two boys. I am happy and productive working in a very collaborative environment. Because of the flexible and family-friendly culture of Mode, I can do great work and spend quality time with my kids and family.”

Proactive vs. passive

To inspire future Hinrich scholars, Jean quotes Steve Jobs: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Always.” Unlike Jobs though, she believes in life-long learning for scholars.

Jean (center in light brown pants) poses with Hinrich Foundation team members, scholars and alumni during a scholar welcome event in Hong Kong, April 2012

“Being a learner ensures that you stay young, and energetic and you are not left behind. My experience says that as a Hinrich Foundation scholar, we need to be open and flexible to new things, and to maintain a level of positive energy in personal and professional life.” She advocates curiosity and a proactive approach to lifelong learning.

Read Jean's full profile here.

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