Cultural Clubs
African Students Association
The African Students Association (ASA) comprises a group of students of African and non-African descent dedicated to the education of the Hopkins community at large of the different cultures that comprise the African continent. ASA also provides a network of support for African students at Johns Hopkins. The African Students Association is a service as well as social organization which aims to rid misconceptions concerning Africa through education.
Arab Student Union
The Arab Student Union (ASU) comprises students of Arab and non-Arab descent dedicated to the education of the Hopkins community of the multiple nationalities of the Arab World.
Bangladeshi-American Student Association
The Bangladeshi-American Students Association seeks to connect the Bangladeshi-American student community by enhancing our culture, customs, and traditions. The club also hopes to raise awareness about the history of the Bangladeshi people and the Bangladeshi diaspora. Furthermore, because Bangladesh is the focus of many global development programs, we can learn more about how to bridge the gap between researcher and community.
Brazilian Students Association
The Brazilian Students Association brings awareness of Brazilian culture to the JHU community through various events, by increasing the multicultural spirit on campus, and promoting and fostering a better understanding of Brazilian culture, its people, diversity, and values. The group strives to preserve and strengthen relationships with any and all individuals and organizations interested in Brazil and its culture and to help all Brazilians adapt to life at JHU.
Canadian Students Association
The mission of the Canadian Students Association is to create a community for Canadian students to meet and interact with each other, as well as a platform to share Canadian culture with the rest of the Hopkins community.
Caribbean Cultural Society at JHU
The Caribbean Cultural Society aims to foster unity and cultural awareness among Caribbean students, faculty, and staff, and the larger Hopkins community through social, educational, and cultural programming showcasing the rich culture of the islands. We strive to provide a support network for entering Caribbean students in order to ease the transition into Hopkins and serve as a resource for any member of the Johns Hopkins University community interested in learning about the Caribbean.
Chinese Students Association
The Chinese Students Association (CSA) is a Chinese culture student interest group. CSA’s primary goal is to promote the awareness, understanding, and appreciation of Chinese culture through public events. In addition, CSA fosters a supportive social and cultural environment in order to encourage cohesion and unity of the Chinese student body. CSA welcomes students of all ethnic backgrounds to participate and learn about Chinese culture.
Cuban-American Undergraduate Students Association
CAUSA aims to bring together students to share in the Cuban culture through speakers, food (pastelitos, lechon, platanitos, etc.), classic films (Fresa y Chocolate, Un Rey en la Habana, etc.), dancing (Salsa, Rumba, etc.) and the practice of the Spanish language. Furthermore, it hopes to bring awareness of social, political, and economic issues by engaging in discourse and contributing to organizations like Roots of Hope.
Eritrean & Ethiopian Student Association
The Washington Metropolitan Area has the largest population of Ethiopians and Eritreans in the nation; however, these two groups are underrepresented on the Johns Hopkins campus, thus the group seeks to bridge the gap between the strong Ethiopian and Eritrean community in the surrounding areas and the JHU community as a whole. EESA provides a social foundation for and aid in establishing such a community on the Hopkins campus. EESA functions both as a source for information and a safe haven for social interaction.
Filipino Students Association
The Johns Hopkins Filipino Students Association strives to celebrate and promote awareness of the culture, language, and history of the Philippines. Through cultural nights, potlucks, documentary screenings, folk dance performances, and other events, we aim to provide a friendly environment for members of the Hopkins community to learn about Filipino culture and other issues pertaining to the Philippines. We also work towards enabling students at Hopkins of Filipino descent to celebrate their cultural heritage together and socialize with each other.
Indigenous Students at Hopkins
Indigenous Students at Hopkins aims to provide a community for all Indigenous students on campus and to welcome Indigenous first year students to campus. In addition, ISH aims to promote awareness of current events, culture, and history of Indigenous cultures throughout the world. ISH accomplishes these goals by bringing thought-provoking events and speakers to campus, as well as by responding to current political and social issues impacting Indigenous communities.
Inter-Asian Council
Founded in 1992 by the Office of the Dean of Student Life, the Inter-Asian Council at Johns Hopkins has sought to foster unity among the Asian and Asian American communities at Homewood and to empower students to discuss issues of identity, politics, and race. The Inter-Asian Council serves as a medium for Asian Pacific groups at Hopkins to collaborate and to work together towards shared goals and causes. Past events have involved philanthropy, identity workshops, social mixers, performances featuring prominent Asian American entertainers, team-building activities, and pan-Asian cultural events.
Iranian Cultural Society
The Iranian Cultural Society (ICS) is a non-religious and non-political group that represents Iranian-American and Iranian international students at Johns Hopkins. The goal of ICS is to host social, cultural, and academic events, open to all students and the general public, that promote Persian culture, traditions, and holidays, strengthen relationships between Iranian students at JHU, as well as raising campus awareness about modern-day Iran and issues facing Iranian-Americans.
Italian Club (CIAO)
The goals of Ciao! The Johns Hopkins Italian Club are to raise awareness of Italian culture among the JHU community, encourage practice and appreciation of language among experienced and beginners alike, and always enjoy Italian food! In past years, events have included cooking demonstrations, Italian-language conversation tables, film screenings, gelato & pizza parties, and more! All students are welcome to become members and apply for leadership positions.
Japanese American Student Association
The Japanese American Student Association (JASA) strives to provide fun and informational activities for students who are interested in Japanese culture and language. While many of our members are ethnically Japanese, we maintain total inclusivity, and non-Japanese students who are bilingual, learning the language, or who simply enjoy the culture are encouraged to join. JASA activities include cooking and eating Japanese food, watching Japanese films, going to D.C. for Japanese festivals, and meeting Japanese organizations from other areas.
Jewish Students Association
The JSA is an independent student group and the student governing body of Hopkins Hillel. The JSA works in partnership with the Hillel staff to help oversee and evaluate student programming and to create policy that will benefit the campus Jewish community. Currently the JSA oversees many of the Jewish student groups and committees who, along with Hillel staff, create a wide variety of cutting edge, pertinent Jewish programs for the Hopkins Jewish community.
JHU French Club
The French Club aims to promote awareness of French language and culture. We host a variety of events throughout the year, from film screenings to food tastings. We welcome anybody who is interested in participating!
JHU German Club
The JHU German Club provides the opportunity for students who share enthusiasm for the German language and culture to get together.
Korean American Student Association
The mission of the Korean-American Student Association is to provide an inclusive and educational community for Korean-American students and those with interests in Korean-American culture. We also seek to share, advocate for, and raise awareness of Korean-American issues and culture on campus.
Korean Students Association
Korean Students Association represents Korean-American and Korean international students at Johns Hopkins. KSA hosts social, cultural, and academic events, which are open to everyone. The main goals of KSA are to promote Korean culture, providing a network of support for Korean students at JHU, and strengthen relationships among Korean students.
Mexican American Student Association
The purpose of the Mexican-American Student Association is to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture while educating the wider Hopkin’s community through different events during the school year. We will also promote the Spanish language and heritage. Our goal is to create a club where all are welcome regardless of their background.
OLÉ Latinx Student Group
OLÉ Latinx Student Group strives to create a positive inclusive environment that promotes the history, culture, and intellectual contributions of Latin America. In pursuit of the advocacy of Latino heritage, OLÉ addresses and vocalizes local and national issues as a means to integrate, engage and empower students.
Pakistani Student Association
The purpose of the Pakistani Student Association is to foster a sense of community amongst Pakistani-identifying individuals. Through hosting events and curating programming, the Pakistani Student Association intends to facilitate identity development and allow students the space to build relationships, share their cultural experiences, and connect with their Pakistani identity. The PSA also aims to build allyship and solidarity with other culturally-based organizations and cultural leaders to strengthen intra-cultural collaboration amongst our members.
Puerto Rican Student Association
The purpose of the Puerto Rican Student Association is to expose the Hopkins community to Puerto Rican culture through events highlighting Puerto Rico’s cuisine, traditional festivities, music and dance.
Slavic Students Association
The mission of the Slavic Students Association is to further the cultural prominence of Slavic students at JHU and to create a social group for Slavic interest and Slavic ethnicity students.
South Asian Students at Hopkins
South Asian Students at Hopkins (SASH) is a nonprofit student group whose goal is to foster a sense of community within the South Asian student body and increase South Asian cultural awareness throughout the JHU campus, as well as the surrounding Baltimore area. We organize cultural shows, service events, and other social gatherings open to all JHU students, faculty, and staff, so that everyone is able to experience what it means to be South Asian.
Sudanese Student Union
The Sudanese Student Union (SSU) is for those who wish to experience, learn about, or relate to the Sudanese experience. With rich Nubian, Nilotic, and Arabized Nubian culture, this group aspires to connect to the roots of both Sudan and South Sudan on many levels. The Sudanese identity is a unique intersection of religion, race, and language that blurs boundaries and is often complex for members of the diaspora, and those within the country to define. We aspire to network with prominent Sudanese figures and promote advocacy for issues affecting South Sudan, Sudan, and Sudanese people globally.
Taiwanese American Students Association
The Taiwanese American Students Association (TASA), is dedicated to promoting Taiwanese cultural awareness on the Homewood campus and beyond. Through social, cultural, and educational events, the TASA board and members work together to establish a better sense of community and Taiwanese identity.
Turkish Students Association
The Turkish Student Association welcomes everyone who is interested in Turkish culture. The mission of the group is to promote Turkey, Turkish culture and foster communication and unity among the Turkish people and the people who are interested in Turkish culture.
Vietnamese Students Association
The Vietnamese Student Association aims to preserve and promote Vietnamese culture at Johns Hopkins University and the surrounding community by providing programs and support for students to establish a common ground for cultural awareness.
Relevant Clubs and Groups
Alexander Hamilton Society
The Alexander Hamilton Society is a national organization that brings speakers to college campuses across the country to debate important issues facing our world today. AHS is a non-partisan, non-affiliated organization that has access to some of the most well-respected practitioners and thought-leaders in the country. The group does not set out to provide students with a right or wrong answer, rather, they provide the single greatest platform to let students find their own answer–a debate. The AHS speakers debate with Hopkins professors, giving the audience a wide range of thoughts and outlooks on the topic at hand.
College Democrats
The Hopkins College Democrats are committed to enriching the political experiences of the JHU student body. Activities consist of issue discussion panels, BBQs, social functions, campaigning, debating and much more.
College Republicans
The JHU College Republicans‘ primary objective is to increase political awareness on campus. Through their efforts, the group hopes to inform Hopkins students about candidates and issues at the local, state, and national levels. Equally, they are committed to presenting the views of college students to elected representatives. They host a variety of events throughout the year, which include policy discussions, panels, speakers, social gatherings, debate watch parties, and much more.
Foreign Affairs Symposium
The Foreign Affairs Symposium is a student-run, non-profit speaker and panel series dedicated to raising awareness about current, pressing international issues. The group strives to foster constructive intellectual dialogue by creating a forum in which students and members of the Baltimore community may interact and engage with prominent global leaders.
Global China Connection
Global China Connection is a leading organization for promoting cooperation between premier students in China and the international community. A nonprofit student-run network of over 50 university chapters worldwide, the GCC platform creates unprecedented opportunities to build long-term relationships that will change the world.
Hear and Now
Hear and Now, a division of IDEAL JHU, is a community outreach initiative that is dedicated to promoting civic and political engagement by implementing an after-school program in Baltimore schools. In 2018, IDEAL Hear and Now received a $20,000 grant from the JHU Idea Lab Competition to initiate this after-school program. The Hear and Now team has worked with various groups, including AZIZA/PE&CE, Frederick Douglass High School, Druid Heights Community Development Center, and Mount Royal School to refine and implement the after-school program. The Hear and Now team is in the process of expanding to other Baltimore schools with the hopes of providing even more spaces that foster civic discourse.
Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs (POFA)
The Hopkins Podcast on Foreign Affairs (POFA) is an entirely student-run podcast at Johns Hopkins created by three first-year, International Studies students in 2017. POFA speaks to professors, students, and foreign policy professionals about the most pressing issues in international relations and global political affairs. Guests have included faculty from the Hopkins’ Homewood campus and SAIS as well as professionals and academics from the Brookings Institution, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Enterprise Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and even the former Vice President of Taiwan. POFA is available on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and for special episodes, YouTube!
HopMUN Model UN Team
As the school’s official Model UN team, HopMUN participates in a number of conferences across North America, including at Harvard, McGill, and Columbia universities. They teach students how to not only form and communicate policy proposals but also how to convince even the most bitter rivals that the HopMUN solution is the right way to go.
IDEAL JHU
IDEAL JHU helps people discover what they think, feel, and believe, and it opens them up to the idea of accepting what others believe as a way to understand. Sometimes having political debates forces us to think that we need to change everyone else’s mind. At IDEAL they appreciate the idea of simply listening and learning.
John Quincy Adams Society
The John Quincy Adams Society is a national network of student groups focused on U.S. foreign policy, with a centering vision of restraint. The chapters aim to help college students advance, both intellectually and professionally, while promoting a broader and more strategic conversation about America’s approach to international affairs. The Society is nonpartisan and nonpolitical: working in the world of ideas, not on activism or elections, and seeking to work with every corner of the political spectrum.
Johns Hopkins Undergraduate Debate Council
The Undergraduate Debate Council at JHU competes as a member of the American Parliamentary Debate Association, where they have consistently been ranked as one of the top five schools in the country.
Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium
Established in 1967, the Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium is a widely acclaimed lecture series sponsored by Johns Hopkins. The symposium is designed to present an issue of national importance to the university, as well as to the Baltimore and Washington communities. The symposium has established a reputation as a forum for the free exchange of ideas and analysis of issues at the forefront of the nation’s conscience. All events are free and open to the public.
Vanguard Student Think Tank for Trans-Pacific Relations
The Vanguard Student Think Tank for Trans-Pacific Relations (VSTT), is a Research Think Tank headquartered at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood campus in Baltimore, MD. VSTT is committed to expanding and improving discussions and research on current affairs, and eliminating regional and national misconceptions. In addition to promoting intellectual and academic inquiries and magnifying the voices of students in international studies, VSTT also seeks to establish a platform for students and young scholars, and for all interested students regardless of their national origins and majors, on affairs of the Trans-Pacific region, the U.S., and Asia.