Borderless Confidence
By Ruth Ofstedal '92
My parents are to credit for my international zeal. Their own appreciation for travel and cultures must have been genetic. The evidence is in the past 14 years since I graduated from Concordia College-Moorhead. In that span of time and at last count, my career has taken me to nine countries on five different continents.
Some of my most memorable experiences were at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. Working for the United States Antarctic Program, I couldn't have loved a place more, and enjoyed freezing so much. The stark beauty of the place coupled with the intensity of life and work there gave me the absolute time of my life. The atypical in life is what makes me the happiest, and that definitely includes my time at the bottom of the world.
Prior to my time "on the ice" in Antarctica, I contracted in industries like technology, oil and gas and financial services. An international thread connected these jobs, taking me abroad to places including China, Japan, Germany, the UK, Russia and Venezuela. Today, however, I'm enjoying a less nomadic life in Minneapolis, working in project management in the e-learning business, and at least for the moment, not living out of a suitcase.
Concordia gave me a good grounding in the liberal arts, which has played a large role in my ability to enjoy and succeed at so many different jobs. I majored in humanities, with an emphasis on Mandarin Chinese and East Asian studies, a major I molded with the help of history chair Dr. Linda Johnson. She encouraged me to pursue my interests, study abroad, conduct research and eventually attend graduate school at Thunderbird - The Garvin School of International Management for my MIM degree. Concordia kept my mind open to new ideas and directions - and I wonder what door will open next.
