March is a month filled with quiet moments of reflection on women, time, and growth. On one side is International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8; on the other is Women’s History Month in the United States. Against this backdrop, a transcontinental conversation unfolded online on the evening of March 7, U.S. Eastern Time.
Hosted by the RUC North America Alumni Association, the 2026 Women’s Day online salon, “She and the Variables of the World,” brought alumni together from around the world. Familiar and new names appeared in the chat window as participants joined the virtual room from different time zones.
Centered on career development, women’s growth, and a changing world, the conversation brought together three alumnae with long-standing careers in economic research: Mo Ji, Class of 1995, Managing Director and Chief China Economist at DBS Bank; Lei Xia, Class of 2001, Chief Economist at Guohai Securities; and Shijie Shi, Class of 2007, Data Scientist at the World Bank’s Development Prospects Group.
The salon was moderated by Jiayu Meng and Xinyue Shi, both Class of 2021.
01. Career Paths: Many Directions Become Visible Only Along the Way
After a relaxed and natural opening, the conversation quickly turned to a question that many young people have considered at some point:
Is a career path something we plan, or something we discover along the way?
For Shijie Shi, a data scientist at the World Bank, the answer is closer to the latter.
From pursuing graduate studies overseas after college, to working in academia, and eventually joining the World Bank, she acknowledged that she was not someone who had a clearly defined career plan from an early age.
“Many choices are really judgments made when circumstances and opportunities present themselves.”
Her journey began with an administrative position, followed by efforts to build expertise in data and computer science, and eventually led to an international organization. She described her career as a process of “exploring as I go.” It was through repeated experimentation and adjustment that she gradually found a direction that suited her.
Lei Xia’s career, by contrast, resembles a mirror reflecting broader changes in the times.
From serving as a government official at China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, to becoming a securities industry researcher, and later shifting from real estate research to macroeconomic research, each transition was closely connected to changes in industry and economic cycles.
Looking back on these turning points, she identified one common thread:
She never predetermined the destination.
“What really needs to be adjusted is the framework through which we observe the world,” she said.
At different stages, continuously revising one’s judgments and building professional expertise is itself a process of adapting to reality.
Mo Ji brought the discussion back to the longer arc of personal growth.
In her view, what matters most when you are young is not rushing to identify the so-called “optimal path,” but honestly confronting your own interests and capabilities.
“Don’t rush to let external trends define you, and don’t too easily give up the patience to explore something deeply.”
Persist through uncertainty, and keep moving forward as you let go.
She reminded younger alumni that much of the most meaningful growth happens during periods when the outcome is not yet visible.
Continuing to read, continuing to think, and continuing to stay aware of the world are forms of accumulation in themselves.
Mo Ji
Class of 1999, Economics | Chief China Economist, DBS Bank
02. Women’s Growth: Many Decisions Are Made Amid Uncertainty
As the conversation turned to women’s growth, the discussion became more closely connected to everyday realities.
Shijie Shi recalled one of the most transformative periods of her life, when international relocation, pregnancy, childbirth, and a job transition all happened within a relatively short period.
With the support of her family, she moved from a stable position to a short-term contract role at the World Bank. She completed an interstate move while pregnant and gradually transitioned into a new stage of her professional life.
“Many important decisions don’t wait until all the conditions are perfectly in place,” she said.
Life often begins in uncertainty.
Lei Xia offered a practical observation about the different stages women may experience in their careers.
Early in a career, gender can indeed bring additional pressure and uncertainty. But as people grow older, accumulate experience, and establish themselves professionally, what ultimately determines whether they can continue moving forward is still professional judgment and the ability to consistently deliver results.
She encouraged younger women not to define themselves too narrowly or too early.
“Leave some room for yourself, and allow yourself to find your own rhythm between family and career.”
Lei Xia
Class of 2005, Finance | Chief Economist, Guohai Securities
Mo Ji summarized this part of the discussion in two simple words:
Choose wisely.
From education to work, from cities to industries, from professional partners to lifestyles, women face countless choices throughout their lives. The truly important ability, she suggested, is gradually learning to make choices with wisdom and clarity.
Because ultimately, all these choices point back to one fundamental question:
How well do you know yourself?
03. University Education: What Matters Most Is Learning to Think Independently
When the discussion returned to university life, Mo Ji placed particular emphasis on one ability: critical thinking.
The most important transformation during undergraduate education is not simply acquiring more knowledge, but realizing that:
The same issue can be viewed from different perspectives. The world does not have only one answer.
Learning to continuously ask questions and reconsider them is itself an important first step toward independent thinking.
Shijie Shi approached the subject from another perspective. University is not only a place for intellectual training, she said, but also a stage when young people begin to truly understand their relationship with the world.
The trust-based relationships and networks built during university can often have a profound impact much later in life. Many opportunities that appear “accidental” are, in fact, the result of long-term preparation, accumulated capabilities, and genuine human connections.
Shijie Shi
Class of 2011, Agricultural Development | Data Scientist, World Bank Development Prospects Group
Lei Xia offered younger alumni a particularly direct piece of advice:
Don’t limit yourself too early.
At times, the distance between a person and the larger world is not determined by ability, but by the boundaries they have set for themselves. What matters is stepping outside those boundaries and engaging in genuine exchanges of information and ideas with a broader world.
04. Everyday Energy: What Sustains Us Over the Long Run
The second half of the salon unexpectedly turned to a lighter yet deeply meaningful question:
How do we keep our energy up?
Mo Ji shared a habit she has maintained for years: reading and listening to audiobooks. She particularly enjoys listening to content from different fields while walking, allowing her thoughts to gradually expand as she moves through the city.
Shijie Shi recalled several moments that have stayed with her over the years: a sunrise by the sea, an unexpected sighting of a red moon, and other small moments that helped quiet her mind and restore her sense of calm.
Lei Xia shared her experience of taking her first solo trip during the past year. She spent a week in Kyoto, walking slowly, eating slowly, and rediscovering her appreciation for the details of everyday life.
These seemingly unrelated aspects of life and professional success generated some of the strongest resonance during the conversation.
The three speakers independently arrived at a similar observation:
What truly sustains us over the long run is often not grand ambitions, but the everyday things that help us restore our energy.
Jiayu Meng
Class of 2025, Communication–Public Administration Experimental Program; currently pursuing the Master to Master Program at UBC Sauder and Yale School of Management
Xinyue Shi
Class of 2025, Labor Economics; currently pursuing the Operations Research Program at Columbia Engineering
Women’s Day Reflections
Before the salon concluded, the three speakers each offered a personal message for Women’s Day.
Shijie Shi:
“Take good care of yourself, and remember to put yourself in an important place in your own life.”
Lei Xia:
“Treat yourself like a rose. Nurture yourself, and let yourself bloom.”
Mo Ji:
“Keep light in your eyes and sunshine in your heart—warm yourself and illuminate others.”
This conversation, spanning continents and time zones, did not attempt to provide a standard answer.
For many alumni who are still in school or just beginning their careers, however, it may have offered a more authentic way of looking at the journey:
In a world full of variables, each of us moves forward while continually defining who we are.
And the judgments, experiences, and inner strength we gradually develop will ultimately become our own—
constants.
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