by Benjamin Hosking

For Jamin Yang ’26, who studied information systems and public policy at Northeastern Arlington, a commitment to freedom of belief, democracy, and human rights helped guide his journey to align technology with social impact.

After growing up in Taichung, Taiwan and spending a year in Sydney, Australia, coming to Northeastern was the first time Yang had lived in the United States. He came here to take the next step in his education, towards his goal of contributing to his home country by combining two of his key interests: international affairs and public policy, and his skills as a coder.

Once he arrived, Yang jumped right in to active participation in Arlington and Washington DC. He volunteered with Amnesty International, helping facilitate advocacy at the U.S. Congress. He also was an NU Votes Ambassador, connecting civic participation efforts to academic programming.

“It was an eye-opening experience,” Yang said. “Taiwan’s democracy is young, with its first election in 1996. I wanted to come to America and learn how democracy works here.”

With NU Votes, Yang helped register students to vote whose home state is not Virginia. He notes that some Chinese students were interested by the tabling and the differences in government between the United States, Taiwan, and China.

“They wanted to know about my experience in Taiwan with voting and what happens after the election,” he said. “I could share the differences between Taiwan and the USA. Taiwan has five branches of government; the USA has three.”

Pairing an engineering master’s with a policy analytics graduate certificate

Yang’s Master of Science in Information Systems is situated in the College of Engineering, but he also studies in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities as part of his separate Graduate Certificate in Public Policy Analysis. The Information Systems degree is designed to pair full-stack engineering with an analytical and strategic approach to solutions architecture, which makes it a strong choice for students with interdisciplinary leadership career goals. And the graduate certificate gives students the ability to assess impact and design evidence-based solutions, grounded in the realities of policy and governance.

Yang was able to put both areas of study into practice during his time on co-op. He was hired to intern with the Institute for Global Engagement, a pluralistic faith-based think tank with the mission statement: “To promote societal flourishing in nations by equipping citizens to engage, respect, and protect one another regardless of faith or none.”

During his time with the organization, he developed an interactive geospatial visualization using JavaScript, D3.js, and Leaflet to map regions affected by religious freedom violations and associated support networks. He also attended hearings of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom at the U.S. Congress, a chance to see the work of policy in real time.

Thanks to IGE’s participation in the International Religious Freedom Summit, an annual “big tent” event for groups that work towards this shared goal from different areas of expertise, Yang attended and was left with a strong impression that he was on the right track.

“There were panels that shared the situation of religious freedom in particular countries where people are killed for their beliefs,” Yang said. “If I have domain knowledge to help through coding, then I want to code for social good.”

A commitment to giving back

Yang’s choices for how to spend his time in most areas of his life are also centered on his humanitarian goals. As a service-learning teaching assistant for the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, he helped guide students in data-driven policy analysis for two non-profits: Dress for Success DC, which provides professional attire and training for underserved women; and Bread for the City, a regional food bank. He also represented his fellow students with the College of Engineering by participating in the Master’s Council.

In the extracurricular space, he was a founding member of Northeasternburg, a Christian student interest group (named as a humorous nod to U.S. city naming conventions). He wanted to build a community with fellow Christians at Northeastern that would also be active in charity work.

A friend invited Yang to a local church men’s retreat, where he met Stephen King J.D. ‘91, a non-profit lawyer and Northeastern alum. King soon became a mentor and advocate for Yang and Northeasternburg.

“When we started, he and his wife Allison gave us a lot of help, opening their house and kitchen for us to have barbecues, biweekly international student dinners, and graduation celebrations,” Yang said. “When I faced the unknown of life in the United States, he helped me and my spiritual wellbeing.”

“It has been a joy to see how Jamin uses his unique giftedness of befriending and connecting people to impact many students at Northeastern Arlington,” King said. “His sincere care for others and orientation toward serving will benefit any community in which he is involved.”

Earning recognition and academic honors

In honor of his academic achievements and community service, Yang is a Laurel & Scroll 100 honoree and won the Outstanding Network Student Award for Arlington, recognizing one student from each campus per year.

“Having those awards means we get recognition across campuses,” Yang said. “It tells me that the work I’ve done aligns with the university’s vision and values. I feel honored.”

Looking to the future, Yang has a well-laid out plan in stages, as one would expect from someone with his analytical skill set. Right now, he is searching for a job in computer software engineering. He would like to stay in the D.C. area, with a short-term goal of landing a job in tech, ideally involving AI. Medium-term, he wants to combine his coding skills with the work of an NGO or government. And long-term, he plans to make even bigger impact, and wants to start his own organization to support freedom of belief and human rights.