Karin Moe

Why We Give

Thursday, January 18, 2018

The positive experiences Bob and Karin Moe, ’56 BSB, had traveling overseas both for business and with their family directly inspired them to support Carlson School students in their study abroad efforts.

“When our children were at home, we started taking them abroad and I thought it was a very maturing experience,” Karin Moe says. “Now our grandchildren are going abroad in their college programs. It makes them interested in the world and I think it’s a very enriching part of their life.”

To assist undergraduate students in fulfilling their education abroad curricular requirement, the Moes established the Robert and Karin Moe Study Abroad Scholarship. This scholarship awards $500 to $5,000 toward students’ expenses overseas.

So far, nearly 90 students have received Moe scholarships for their international experiences and many more will be awarded within the next year.

Last March, Karin was asked to accompany an entrepreneurship class traveling to Cuba. “I was thrilled when they asked me to go along with them,” she says. “Two of the Moe Scholars were on the program and we spent a lot of meals together and I really got to know them, their backgrounds, and their goals. It was really nice.”

Moe spent nine days in Cuba. “It was fascinating to see the kids really get immersed in the culture and in the challenge of that particular atmosphere,” she says. “You could see how the kids benefit from it. I think this is a really great program for these young people.”

She remembers talking to one student who said the experience reminded her of ‘poverty without misery.’ “That’s a good way to look at it,” Moe says. “I’m sure the kids understand the challenge of doing business in other countries and their differences from one another.”

This is one of the reasons Moe finds the international requirement essential for students. “I can’t help but think they will look back and realize how it helped them grow as a person,” she says. “If you can have a broader perspective about things, you’re just going to be more successful and have more confidence.”

 

This story originally appeared in the Carlson School alumni magazine. For more on students, faculty and alumni, read the latest issue.