Karen Simon, a retired banking executive and distinguished alumna from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, has made a generous donation to create the Karen J. Simon '83 Semester at Sea scholarship for Thunderbird undergraduate students.

This philanthropic initiative aims to provide Thunderbird undergraduates with the opportunity to embark on a transformative global journey through the Semester at Sea program. Karen Simon, a 1983 graduate of the Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU and founder of the Karen J. Simon '83 Semester at Sea Scholarship for Thunderbird undergraduate students. Photo courtesy Karen Simon Download Full Image

Simon's deep appreciation for her European ancestry, fueled by her father's post-World War II immigration from Berlin, Germany, inspired her passion for international experiences. After graduating from the American Graduate School of International Management, now ASU Thunderbird, in 1983, she joined a global financial institution, which eventually led her to relocate to London, where she resided for over two decades. 

In 2019, after a 36-year career at J.P. Morgan, Simon retired as vice chairman in investment banking, during which she conducted business in over 50 countries. Today, she serves on the board of directors for three public companies, two of which are in Europe and one in the United States. 

Recently, Simon was invited to join the Semester at Sea board of trustees, which sparked her idea to establish this scholarship due to the strong synergies between Semester at Sea and Thunderbird, both of which emphasize international leadership education.

"I always wanted to live overseas and explore diverse cultures," Simon said. "My goal with the (Semester at Sea) scholarship is to encourage as many T-birds as possible to learn about the Semester at Sea program and, hopefully, sign up for this magical study abroad opportunity — with or without financial assistance. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and if I can pay it forward and inspire others to pursue an international career, that is an added bonus!"

Semester at Sea offers students a unique opportunity to gain insight into diverse cultures, economies, geographies and artistry. Beyond the traditional on-campus experience, students develop valuable life skills, such as handling travel challenges, interacting with host families and collaborating with peers from different backgrounds. These experiences foster self-confidence and resiliency, and provide a first-class academic education.

Paw Na

Simon's Thunderbird degree opened doors to a fulfilling international career. Reflecting on the advice she wishes to impart on current and future T-birds, she said, "You have more power than you think. Seek out what brings you joy and be persistent in pursuing your goals. It took me seven years to get transferred to London! Remember to take risks and develop constructive relationships."

The impact of the Karen J. Simon Semester at Sea scholarship is already felt by Thunderbird students Paw Na, Jesse Marquez and Emma Salazar, three of the recipients whose lives and academic journeys have been significantly influenced by this initiative.

Na, a current Bachelor of Global Management student, shared her experience and said, "I once thought Semester at Sea was impossible until I attended a Thunderbird seminar about the Karen Simon scholarship. It became a dream come true during my junior year of college.

"I feel very privileged and fortunate to be a member of a community with such a dependable networking environment that always gives back to their community. Thunderbird has taught me the value of always giving back and remaining humble."

Jesse Marquez

Marquez is a first-generation Mexican American and the first person in his family to attend college. He is enrolled in Thunderbird's Online Bachelor of Science in International Trade degree program through the Uber and ASU online partnership and is passionate about creating a more prosperous and peaceful world.

“Growing up in poverty, I know firsthand the struggles that come with a lack of financial resources and access to education. Breaking the cycle of poverty for as many people as I can is something I am deeply passionate about,” he said. 

"Being awarded this scholarship has proven to me that there are good people in the world who continue to pay it forward. In Karen Simon, I see a role model of what I hope to achieve someday. I want to do the same someday and provide scholarships that financially empower dedicated students to help them achieve their goals."

Emma Salazar

Salazar is a current Bachelor of Global Management student pursuing the international business, language and culture track, which requires two years of foreign language study. She has traveled a lot already in her life and has always had a sense of wanderlust for more.

“I am excited to truly challenge myself and see how everything in my life will affect how I take on this journey. This scholarship allowed me to see a better future for myself, full of opportunities, and look out for positives because you never know how life will gift them to you.

"I want to set an example as a scholarship recipient who made the most of this experience. I am sincerely grateful for Karen Simon; she has truly improved my life, and I can’t wait to make her and my family proud,” Salazar said.

From creating new cancer drugs to developing more effective teaching methods, research plays an important role in improving our lives. But researchers can’t do this work alone; many studies depend on members of the community volunteering to participate. Finding those volunteers, however, can be difficult and time-consuming.

Research Plus Me is a new online platform at Arizona State University created to address this challenge. It was designed and developed with support from the ASU and Common Spirit/Dignity Health collaboration. Researchers can post studies that need participants, making it easy for ASU students, alumni, staff and the public to connect with studies on topics they care about. Some of the studies also offer financial compensation to participants. Photo courtesy National Institutes of Health Download Full Image

“ASU conducts about 3,000 studies with human participants a year. The way we recruit for studies is disadvantageous to researchers and participants,” says Amber Hedquist, program manager for Research Plus Me. “Interested participants have no central way to find and stay updated on study opportunities. Similarly, researchers struggle to meet their enrollment, timeline and diversity goals. Research Plus Me is designed to overcome these difficulties.”

Research Plus Me is inspired by the ASU Charter, which prioritizes research and discovery of public value. Determining public value requires continued collaboration between researchers and the communities they serve. ASU is measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed. Including study participants with diverse life experiences and backgrounds — such as age, race/ethnicity, gender and education status — produces research findings that transform our society.

Diversity is important because research findings need to be generalized across a larger population. For example, research on heart attacks only included men for a long time. As a result, guidance about the signs of a heart attack only included symptoms common in men. Women experiencing heart attacks often did not seek help — or were sent home from hospitals — because their symptoms didn’t match expectations.

Even studies that focus on a narrow demographic group present challenges for recruitment.

Gabriel Shaibi is a professor in the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation. He studies obesity-related health in high-risk and vulnerable populations.

“We always think about recruitment as the most challenging aspect of enrolling human participants into our studies, particularly clinical trials,” he says. 

For example, in one of his past trials, Shaibi needed to recruit children with obesity as well as pre-diabetes, all from Latino populations. His team had to reach out to over 1,000 families to enroll the final sample of 120 participants.

“You’re spending hours and hours of time, energy and effort to even have the opportunity to talk to somebody who might be interested,” he explains. And many of those interested people won’t meet the criteria needed for the study.

The design and development of Research Plus Me was informed by ASU Clinical Professor Aparna Rao and Professor Shelley Gray, who created a participant recruitment tool for the College of Health Solutions. With their guidance and expertise, ASU Knowledge Enterprise scaled their efforts to serve researchers across the university. 

Research Plus Me offers tremendous benefits to participants and researchers alike.

“If we can increase access to trials and state-of-the-art interventions for underrepresented populations, that provides an opportunity to address and reduce health disparities,” Shaibi says. “From a researcher’s perspective, the resources that we would otherwise spend on recruiting participants could go further to implement the trials and potentially disseminate the results back to the community.”

Who can join Research Plus Me?

Anyone can sign up for an account. You do not need to be affiliated with ASU to join.

After you enter some demographic data and your areas of interest, you will receive notifications about studies that may be a good fit for you. You can also peruse all of the studies on the website. Some studies require you to participate in person, but others can be completed online.

Each researcher is responsible for determining whether a specific volunteer meets the study’s requirements and for obtaining the necessary consent.

Sign up to participate.

Does it protect my safety and privacy?

Every study posted on Research Plus Me must be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure that it complies with all applicable regulations, meets ethical standards and protects participants.

Each study will provide easy-to-understand information about what is required from you, how the data collected will be used and protected, and whom to contact with any questions. You can stop participating in a study at any time without penalty.

The information you enter into the Research Plus Me portal is stored in a secure database and will never be sold, lent or otherwise given to any vendor at any time.

View the privacy policy.

Who can post a study on Research Plus Me?

Any ASU researcher with an IRB-approved study can post on Research Plus Me at no cost. This includes student researchers, if they are working with an ASU-based principal investigator.

Post your study.

How can educators use the site?

Research studies can be educational for participants as well as researchers. For that reason, Research Plus Me includes a section for teachers with suggestions for using participation and the platform itself as educational opportunities. The team is currently developing a curriculum to help teachers better leverage this resource in their classrooms.

Explore educational opportunities.

Research Plus Me was created by ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise, with significant contributions from community members and ASU researchers. For more information, contact info@researchplus.me.

Editor's note: This article is part of the ASU Foundation's ongoing work to celebrate Black philanthropy at ASU.

Jason Amoako-Agyei started his college career as a nursing student but soon realized that the bedside wasn't the right place for him. He remained passionate about the field in which much of his family works but decided that he was more inclined to work behind the scenes. Today, Amoako-Agyei is a rising senior in Arizona State University's College of Health Solutions, where he studies health care administration and policy. Jason Amoako-Agyei is on a mission to bring ASU 's Black communities together. Photo courtesy Jason Amoako-Agyei Download Full Image

When Amoako-Agyei isn't in class, he spends much of his time connecting Black communities at ASU. He currently serves as external vice president of ASU's Black African Coalition, which works to unify students of African descent to support the success of Black community members, increase the visibility of Black life and be an advocate for the interests of Black students and organizations.

Here, Amoako-Agyei discusses ASU's Black communities, his leadership experience, the importance of philanthropy and more.

Question: How did you get started in this community?

Answer: I started in my junior year, so quite late, but that was mostly because of the impact of COVID. I was exposed to more of Black ASU around my junior year, which showed me the importance of highlighting Black ASU and the Black experience at ASU. 

At a school this big, it's difficult to find your footing, to find where you belong if you don't know where to look. I was new to the school. I didn't know if I fit in. I still doubted whether I should have gone to a historically Black college or university (HBCU) to be in a place where I felt more comfortable. But after I found this space, although it was smaller, it felt like home. And because it was small, you could get to know everyone very well.

You're able to host events where everyone can feel included, to create a family-like environment. Our goal is to create the feeling of a mini HBCU where we can feel that we belong, that we have a tradition, that we have values and that we have things that you'll find at universities established in the cultural context.

Q: How did you get involved with the Black African Coalition?

A: I actually started in the Black African Coalition as part of the African Student Association this past school year. I was the vice president of community engagement and recruiting for the African Student Association. It was our first year back on campus after the pandemic. And so, in working with the African Student Association, I became much more involved on campus in the Black community. 

We were registered as part of the Black African Coalition, so we worked closely with many Black leaders on campus and hosted many events highlighting the diaspora. Since then, I've become more involved and joined the board directly as the external vice president. 

Q: What do you do as external vice president?

A: As external vice president, my responsibilities include being in contact with organizations and entities outside of just the Black African Coalition. We focus on highlighting the existence of students of any minority or any marginalized group here on campus. And then I also work with alumni organizations that get involved with, for example, bringing speakers to campus. And then I also work on anything involving philanthropy. 

Q: What does philanthropy mean to you?

A: Philanthropy is going to be my main focus for this next school year, and I've thought about this in depth. Everyone wants to be involved in philanthropy, but they don't know how they can get involved. Philanthropy is just providing anyone who has a dream the access, resources and opportunities to achieve that dream.

Your time, money, contacts — anything you can give someone to help them achieve a dream — is a form of philanthropy. When looking at Black philanthropy on campus, donations are incredible, and donors are highly valued in our organization. But so are people who can provide their time and come to speak to students about career and life advice. As college students, we're in the most transformative years of our lives, and it's really important that we have guidance and mentors to ensure we're going in the right direction. 

Q: Have you benefited from philanthropy?

A: I'm on the New American University Scholarship, so my tuition is covered right now. And to be honest, that's really provided me the opportunity to get more involved on campus. It's allowed me to focus on matters that aren't necessarily financial, which has been a game changer.

I don't know how my college career would have been different if I had to focus on my tuition while also trying to be an involved student. So having my tuition covered and not having to focus on that has truly been a blessing. 

Q: What does mentorship mean to you?

A: I'm currently a mentee in the YP Connect mentorship program. It's part of the Urban League of Young Professionals, and this is a program I believe every single Black student at ASU should apply to. 

In working with the Urban League of Young Professionals, I grew my competence immensely and learned everything I needed to know about starting my career in corporate America. I practiced my interviews. I learned financial management. I learned how to create a LinkedIn profile — I didn't have a LinkedIn profile before the Urban League. I was able to land my first internship. I was able to connect with incredible people. 

And that's going to be a lasting partnership. I was in a cohort of only five other students, and there were way more mentors available than there were mentees. If more students applied to be in this program, I can't even imagine how much of an impact they would have. They'd be incredible.

Q: What would you tell a student — especially a Black student — first coming to ASU?

A: I would let them know that they are not alone. It can be very easy to get lost at such a big school. But it's a beautiful school because it's so big. There are so many opportunities everywhere you look. Don't be afraid to branch out. This is your time to shine. And as long as you know who you are and that there are people here to support you, you'll do just fine.