Kristina Moller
Elementary Education
While some students come to college looking for a direction, Kristina Moller has long known where she wanted to go: everywhere! Specifically, she wanted opportunities to learn about new cultures and perspectives while making a difference in people’s lives. And she’s already well on her way, having traveled to six different countries and become deeply involved in the programs available to MSU’s international students.
Among her travels Kristina has taken two trips to Thailand, where she taught at a summer English Camp. But it was her time studying away at a university in Costa Rica that sparked her interest in helping international students connect with their peers at MSU. She writes, “While in Costa Rica, I honestly had a rough time getting to know other Costa Ricans and was quite lonely as a result. My university did not offer activities or organizations to assist students in their transition or to help us make personal connections with natives, so I came back with a new passion to prevent that for our own students studying at MSU.”
Kristina has since become a leader in various programs, such as the Association of International Students (AIS), English Corner, and created and chaired the International Public Affairs Leaders (iPALs) organization here on campus. She continues to seek new experiences and ways to increase intercultural understanding on this campus and others around the world. “We cannot understand what we have not experienced,” she writes, “so I am forever grateful for each opportunity that I have had and for each person that has made me question things or see things a little differently than I had before.”
We are pleased to recognize Kristina’s leadership on campus and hard work in the area of cultural competence by naming her January’s Public Affairs Student Spotlight!