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Alumna, and Kean University Trustee, Barbara
Sobel ’71 and her husband, Ambassador Clifford
Sobel H’99, wanted to find a way to help Kean
students grow as citizens of the world, since
their own experiences had taught them so much
about the importance of a global perspective.
Clifford Sobel had served as the United States
Ambassador to the Netherlands and Brazil, and
the couple lived in each of those countries for
four years. They realized their chance to do so
during their visit to the Wenzhou-Kean University
campus (WKU) in Wenzhou, China.
“We looked at each other and said, ‘Bingo, this
is it!’” said Barbara Sobel. “We really wanted
students to go there because it’s our university.
Kean students could have their own global
experience halfway around the world, but also be
right at home.”
And so, the Sobel Global Wenzhou Scholarship
was born. The Scholarship provides students
with a study abroad experience at WKU without
the added expense. Funded by a generous
donation from the Sobels, the scholarship is
offered to Kean sophomores, juniors and seniors
who excel academically and demonstrate
financial need. The award may be used for airfare
to Wenzhou, tuition and fees, and cultural travel
expenses while in China.
Eight students are Sobel Scholars for the fall 2016
semester, and sophomore Mario Javier Restrepo-
Taborda, a physical education and health major
from Elizabeth, is one of them.
“I love being here and without the Sobel
Scholarship, I wouldn’t be here,” he said.
Junior Krystel Galing of Union was one of the first
recipients of the Sobel Scholarship. The accounting
major spent the spring 2016 semester at WKU.
“I learned so much from the experience,” said
Galing. “The most significant lesson, however,
was learning how to adapt to a different culture.
Learning about a culture is not the same as
experiencing it.”
Through the Sobel Scholarship, Barbara
Sobel hopes to inspire a new generation of
“ambassadors” for Kean University as well as the
United States.
Sobel Scholarship Takes Students to Wenzhou
Sobel Scholar Krystel Galing
