Grad juggles parenting and academics to complete her degree
By Lisa Heer
One word to describe Lousia Lohrmann would be: determined.
A few other phrases might include “creative advertising major” and “single mom.” This winter, Lohrmann will be graduating with a B.A. in advertising at age 22, despite taking a semester off to have a child.
“Being a mom and student the past three semesters has been one of the biggest challenges of my life,” said Lohrmann. “My hat is off to all the parents attending college.”
Becoming a parent herself didn’t seem to take Lohrmann too far off track, however, as she continued studying an interesting trio of disciplines including Spanish, Dance, and Journalism and Mass Media (JAMM).
“Having a child has made me ten times more grateful for my opportunity to be in college, and much more motivated not to let all the money, time and energy to go waste,” said Lohrmann. “I was more determined than ever after having my son to do well in college and finish strong.”
Lohrmann seems to be putting that motivation to good use.
“Louisa is one of my very best advertising majors. She is always in class, does excellent work and is in the very top of GPA’s in the entire JAMM school,” said JAMM professor Mark Secrist. “She is very smart and talented.”
Lohrmann admits that making up for her missing semester was tough, though, and cites scholarships and her family as major assets in helping her complete her degree on time. She received numerous scholarships, including The Shirley Grossman Caldwell Scholarship, The Miriam Hatch Scholarship, and The Robert M. Finlayson Communications Scholarship.
“The generous scholarships and grants I’ve received have definitely saved my education. I wouldn’t have made it financially without them,” said Lohrmann. She noted how the minimum wage job she held would have only paid for babysitting while she was at work.
“Having my mom living in Moscow has been the biggest blessing, because I definitely wouldn’t have been able to participate in dance theatre, take the night class I needed, or get extra homework time when I’m in a bind without her babysitting help.”
Unable to travel for a summer internship, Lohrmann had the opportunity to intern for University Communication and Marketing, which she also said helped her academically.
“Getting to do some PR writing for the UI was a great experience that made me more confident about entering the job market,” she said. Lohrmann feels that her JAMM classes have also helped to prepare her for a job post-graduation.
“All the writing . . . has helped me tremendously with my media skills. I’m very glad that the majority of our JAMM professors attempt to recreate the real world as much as possible in their classes.”
Despite the challenges of being a single mom and student, Lohrmann will graduate on December 10 and have completed her degree in eight semesters. Her plans following graduation are to move to Boise with her son.
“I hope to work in advertising and get a feel for the business in a bigger area, but I eventually want to end up in a warm climate,” said Lohrmann. “I have always dreamed of living internationally or in a very warm area because I love being outdoors as much as possible. My ultimate career dream is to run a photography studio or be an advertising photographer.”
And with her determination to finish what she sets her mind to, Lohrmann’s future looks bright.
