During her time at UMSL, Knopf studied international business and Japanese, and spent a year studying abroad at Rikkyo University in Tokyo.
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MFA grad Alysha Black selected for Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award in Belgium
Black will spend the 2025-26 academic year at Howest University of Applied Sciences in Bruges, Belgium, where she will teach, conduct creative writing workshops and continue to work on her novel.
Master’s grad Shiori Kaji has audit accounting role lined up with Anders CPA
Kaji, whose parents traveled from Japan for the UMSL commencement ceremony in May, wants to use her accounting degree to advance the cause of conservation biology.
Johnna Murray, Rachel Thompson and Shawn Murphy receive UMSL Hero Awards
The award is presented to up to three staff or faculty members each month in recognition of their efforts to transform the lives of UMSL students and the wider community.
Explore Germany with UMSL alum Franziska Hauptmann
Hauptmann now lives in Stuttgart for graduate school and works as a student quality engineer at Porsche.
Education alum Alexis Perez Lane serves as public policy fellow on Capitol Hill
Perez Lane intends to take the lessons she learned in Washington, D.C., back to St. Louis to make change at the local level.
UMSL alum Semir Vajzovic invests in the next generation of engineers
Vajzovic is the director of asset, investment and risk management at Ameren and an adjunct instructor in the UMSL/WashU Joint Engineering Program
UMSL alum Molly Okawa fulfills dream of living, working abroad in Japan
Okawa participated in the prestigious Japan Exchange and Teaching Program and now teaches at Mejiro International School in Tokyo.
Accounting grad Abby Foust is law school-bound
Foust, who graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA and a certificate from the Pierre Laclede Honors College, went on three study abroad trips during her time at UMSL.
Justin Bennett becomes first UMSL DBA graduate with geospatial-focused research
Bennett, the co-founder of Pinnacle Business Strategies, got his start in the geospatial field when he enlisted in the United States Air Force out of high school.