David Musolf studied in Graz, Austria in 1987 and majored in international relations and Norwegian at the University of Minnesota. In addition to his study, he spent three months traveling after the program ended.

Musolf was placed with a host family and felt fortunate for that opportunity because of the advances he made with his German language skills. His surrogate family proved to be very nurturing, yet refused to speak to him in English. “I leapfrogged a lot of people in German language skill because of that,” he said.

Currently, he is the Midwest Sales Director for New York-based, digital media company Rebel Digital. He’s been in advertising for about 10 years, mostly in New York City. The international perspective he gained while in Europe has helped him develop skills to work well with international clients. “Learning to interact in new social environments certainly helped me,” he said.

It also taught him to appreciate challenges and work well outside of his comfort zone. Upon returning from the program, he was no longer intimidated by the thought of picking up and relocating to an unfamiliar place or trying new things. “There’s something entrepreneurial about leaving everything comfortable and starting a new experience abroad,” he said.

His exposure to new places and cultures has cultivated within him a desire to keep traveling and learning about the world. It has also molded his personality and affects the way he travels today, the way he meets new people, and even what he teaches his children, he said.

Twenty years has passed since Musolf and about 20 fellow study abroaders went to Graz, yet he still keeps in touch often with a few of the people he traveled with. And in the fall of 2007, he helped organize a reunion in Northeast Minneapolis for the group. Nearly half of them were able to attend, and two couples that went on the program together in 1987 are now married. Musolf hopes to continue to meet up with his former classmates on a regular basis and envisions organizing reunions at regular intervals in the future.

Musolf had no idea when he embarked on his study abroad adventure more than 20 years ago that it would continue to affect him as much as it does. “The benefits of study abroad are limitless and ongoing,” he said. “It became a part of who I am.”

 

Last modified on November 21, 2008