Alumna’s Life Inspires Scholarship
When alumna Susie Karas Horstman ’86 died of cancer in 2018, her husband Greg Horstman and friend Caroline Belin Murn ’86 yearned to honor her life. Susie, they knew, was just too vibrant a person to let her memory fade over time.
Knowing the deep impact Saint Mary’s College had on Susie’s life—in particular, her time as a study abroad student in Rome—they powered a drive to fund an endowed scholarship so that current and future students could have the same life-changing experience that propelled Susie into the wider world.
Now, the Susan Karas Horstman ’86 Endowed Study Abroad Scholarship is a tribute to the woman who adored Saint Mary’s College and the enduring friendships gained there. Through this scholarship, students who want to study in Rome but might not have the resources, now have access to a study abroad experience.
and Louise Hummel meet the 24/25 recipients of the Susan Horstman Scholarship
in Rome: Emma Klockenkemper '26 (far left) and Romi Llanos '27 (far right).
“Susie’s study-abroad time in Rome resonated throughout her entire life, from the friendships to her dad's business trips to Rome,” said Greg. “The values of being a Saint Mary’s woman, the sisterhood, and all the virtues Saint Mary’s promotes in students and alumnae, Susie lived her life in those standards.”
To establish the scholarship, Caroline and Greg opened the opportunity to family and friends—in particular, a small group of her 1986 classmates—who were generous in ensuring the scholarship’s sustainability. Their collaborative commitments of well over $100,000 has established this as an endowed fund at Saint Mary's. The first scholarship was awarded to a student in the 2023-2024 academic year—exactly 40 years after Susie’s Rome experience.
Reaching across four decades
For 2024-2025, two Saint Mary’s students are in Rome who benefitted from the scholarship. “It is incredibly moving to think that Susie’s legacy has reached across four decades to impact my life today,” said recipient Emma Klockenkemper ’26. “I truly feel a connection to her spirit, especially knowing that she found so much joy and growth in her time in Rome. I imagine her being very happy, knowing she’s passing that same gift on to me. It’s a reminder of how deeply the Saint Mary’s community bonds transcend time and how powerful it is when one generation helps the next.”
It’s a reminder of how deeply the Saint Mary’s community bonds transcend time and how powerful it is when one generation helps the next.
– Emma Klockenkemper ’26
Susie Karas Horstman, Louise Hendring Hummel,
and Stacy Dannacher Sullivan on their 1984 study
abroad experience in Rome.
Emma keyed in on an aspect of Saint Mary’s that reverberates through every generation—that the relationships formed at Saint Mary’s can last a lifetime. In early October 2024, Caroline along with her and Susie’s classmates—Kim Ann Kaegi ’86, Louise Heldring Hummel ’86, Stacy Dannacher Sullivan ’86, and Chris Boncosky Hunt ’86—traveled to Rome to celebrate their 60th birthdays, to honor Susie, and to mark the fulfillment of the scholarship.
Looking ahead to the journey and the opportunity to meet the two recipients, Caroline pondered, “We will get to see, in a tangible way, the place where the scholarships interact. And the fact that women are returning 40 years after being a part of the Rome program, that’s just Saint Mary’s. It’s about keeping women together, elevating women relationships, and promoting independence. To be able to meet the next generation, that’s really remarkable.”
Susie’s impact
Susie Karas Horstman and her classmates during their semester in
Rome. (l-r) Louise Hummel, Stacy Sullivan, Chris Hunt, and Kim Kaegi.
After graduation, Caroline and Susie eventually roomed together once more while both pursued careers in metro Washington, DC. In fact, Caroline was employed at a bank with Greg and later introduced Susie to her future husband. Greg and Susie were married for more than 20 years and had three children, Matthew, Will, and Natalie.
“Susie was very outgoing, very supportive of her friends, and committed to her family,” Greg recalled. “She had a way of engaging with people. When she talked to you, you could just tell that she was a deep person who could see into your soul. She had that effect on people, including me. Unfortunately, God took her too soon, but I’m sure God’s got his plan for her for the rest of eternity.”
Susie’s spirit lives on in her children, family, friends and the young women who are benefiting from the scholarship. In Rome, recipient Romina "Romi" Llanos '27 said, “I have experienced personal growth more than anything. I will take with me everything I have learned, and as a person the shift has made me know more of where I want to go in life, while simultaneously teaching me to be confident in my decisions. I enjoyed meeting Saint Mary’s College alumnae because I saw a glimpse of how the incredible friendships I have made at Saint Mary’s could be in the future. From living in Rome I have grasped the importance of trusting oneself, and of appreciating the beauty that life shows us.”