Sara Kloek ‘05 clearly recalls her first visit to the Morris campus as a junior in high school as being very welcoming and “very Morris.” “I remember checking out where my Spanish classes would be held and ran into Professor Tom Turner who immediately welcomed me into the building to talk more about what I could do with that degree. It was really reassuring to have that connection with a professor before I even enrolled. Turns out that accessibility and warmth would be the norm during my time in Morris.” Sara went on to graduate with a double major in political science and Spanish after she studied abroad in Quito, Ecuador.
Since graduating from UMN Morris, Sara has worked on political campaigns in Minnesota, in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. She’s also worked at multiple non-profit organizations focused on technology and privacy.
Currently, she’s the vice president of education and children’s policy at the Software & Information Industry Association. Sara analyzes proposed state and federal legislation and, Eearlier this year, she authored the student data privacy chapter for the book, “Children’s Privacy and Safety,” published by the International Association of Privacy Professionals.
Sara’s says her involvement in student government and political work while at UMN Morris helped her learn how to connect and engage with diverse groups of people and diverse perspectives. “I was thankful for the ability to meet and connect with people from all over the state and across the country during my time at UMN Morris and continue to be in touch with many of those people today.”
Sara credits UMN Morris and its connection to the University of Minnesota system for providing countless opportunities where she could to get involved and actively participate in areas of interest. “Morris was a good professional incubator to begin to identify skills before embarking on my career.”