Fostering Connections and Community

As a student with a unique bachelor’s degree in sociology of law, criminology, and justice with a minor in Spanish, Annie Moen wanted a master’s degree that would match her varied interests. And, as a stand-out member of the Gopher women’s rowing team, she needed flexibility. “That's something that appealed to me,” she says about the master’s degree in Civic Engagement. “You can build your own schedule, and that worked really well for me.” 

The Catch*

Annie chose the Civic Life and Social Justice track in the Civic Engagement major, and in addition to six required courses, she took a number of offerings from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing.

Access to a wide range of courses definitely expanded her interests, she says. Many of the instructors have careers in their respective industries, so they bring current, professional experience into the classroom.

“I really loved how the students and professors all learned together,” Annie says. ”Civic engagement is about learning from each other or from community members, and that was the focus. We were practicing that with each other, and it really showed me how valuable that can be in civic engagement work.”

Annie adds that she was one of the younger students in the program without a long work history, so she really appreciated hearing about the different jobs and roles in the civic engagement sphere.

The Drive**

As part of the CIVE major, students complete a capstone project of their choice that applies what they’ve learned to an issue or organization that resonates with them. 

Annie’s project combined her interest in immigration and refugee settlement with her deep knowledge of physical exercise. “While I was rowing and through the summer, I had an internship with Mile in My Shoes,” she says. “It’s a running program that builds community among different groups of people, like in addiction recovery centers and long-term shelters.”

According to its website, Mile in My Shoes ”uses the power of running to bring together people from diverse backgrounds to build connections, boost wellness, spark social change, and center people traditionally excluded from running spaces.”

Annie says that experience showed her just how important group exercise can be to a person's physical and emotional wellbeing. “So many people built strong connections, and then when they became more stable and moved out of those facilities into their own places, they had job or housing connections. Seeing those networks built when they really didn't have them before was cool.”

She gained more firsthand experience at another internship with Arrive Ministries, a refugee resettlement agency. While these internships were not required for her master’s degree, they inspired her capstone project: a model for a walking program for newly arrived refugee women in the Twin Cities. The program could be introduced through resettlement agencies and similar organizations.

Annie recalls an encounter she had with a woman who had been in the United States only a week. “I went over to this woman's house who had been on the run from war her whole life. It was in the summer, and she was like, ‘Why is nobody outside?’ She thought it was so dangerous that you had to stay inside and hide.”

She assured the woman it was safe, and they walked outside across her apartment complex together. “I just remember how much joy and freedom was on her face, to be able to do this.”

The Finish***

“I had such a great time with (rowing),” Annie says. “It's actually interesting in the Big 10. They have a very strong walk-on program, so I did that my freshman year. I had never rowed before. I just tried it out, and it was really fun. You have to be asked to come back or stay on the team because they make a lot of cuts, but I ended up having a path forward there. It was something I never imagined doing, but I'm so glad I did.”

The team practiced about 20 hours a week, morning and evening, and then in the spring, they traveled almost every weekend for competitions. “It was pretty demanding, I'll say that,” she says, which makes her academic accomplishments even more impressive.

Annie, who graduated this past fall, would like to continue to work in immigration services, such as refugee resettlement, or on global issues that may impact immigration. If she approaches her work with the same passion and discipline she brings to her sport, she is certain to make an impact.

A True Scholar-Athlete

As a member of the University of Minnesota rowing team, Annie accumulated an impressive list of awards for her athletic and academic performance.

• College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Second Team (2023–24)
• College Sports Communicators Academic All-District (2023–24, 2022–23)
• CRCA Scholar Athlete Award (2023–24, 2022–23, 2021–22)
• Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award (2023–24, 2022–23)
• Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2022–23)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2023–24, 2022–23, 2021–22)
• 1A FAR Academic Excellence Award (2022–23)

* The catch is the beginning of the stroke when the blade enters the water. The rower is fully compressed—knees bent, arms reaching forward.

**The drive is the power phase of the stroke, the part between the catch and the release, when the blade is in the water, propelling the boat.

***The finish, or release, is the part of the stroke when the rower draws the blade out of the water and turns the oar handle so that the blade is parallel to the water.