Margaret (Maggie) Lohmann from Bridgeport, WV, proves to be a student who does it all. A senior at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Lohmann is majoring in English literature, as well as minoring in biology, history, honors, and political science.
She accomplishes this on top of being a tutor at the Writing Center and a Student Ambassador on campus. She is also a member of a series of honoraries, such as the Sigma Tau Delta English Honorary, Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honorary, Alpha Lambda Delta Honorary, and Phi Kappa Phi Honorary.
But this only scratches the surface of her responsibilities. Lohmann is a mentor through the community group Appalachian Impact.
“Our goal is to foster relationships with at-risk students in Upshur County to give support to students who may not have much at home and encourage and assist with school work,” she explained. Until this spring semester, she also took violin lessons at the College, where she participated in violin studio recitals and played for a few Religious Life events on campus.
“I loved being able to continue a passion here at Wesleyan that I have had since I started playing in the fourth grade,” she said. Lohmann was on the Wesleyan Dance Team, as well as, in the fall of 2017 and 2018.
Serving as the president of the Class of 2020 since her sophomore year, Lohmann commented on all that the position entails. “My position has allowed me to sit on the Executive Council of Student Senate for the past three years. In this capacity, I listen to student concerns and help students establish new clubs and other organizations on campus. One of my favorite projects during my time on Student Senate has been the opportunity to collaborate with the architects working on the library renovation last school year.”
Additionally, Lohmann had an opportunity the summer of 2019 to do a study abroad program, and she spoke of it with admiration. “Studying abroad this past summer was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. With the help of the E. Maxine Moose Bruhns Summer Study Abroad Scholarship, I went through the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) and lived in Khon Kaen, Thailand, for six weeks and studied at Khon Kaen University. I had a mixture of professors who work at the university and a visiting professor from the University of Toledo. I also volunteered in the pediatric cancer ward of Srinagarind Hospital on the KKU campus.”
She also spoke on how the experience displayed her WVWC career in a new light. “It was amazing how much my experience and classes connected to topics I had learned about previously in my history, political science, and English classes. One of the greatest realizations I had in Thailand, however, was how similar issues facing Southeast Asia are to ones that have plagued West Virginia, ranging from outsider control of resources to development struggles and even healthcare concerns.
Like many other students, Lohmann mentioned the Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) as one of the events that shaped her decision in choosing WVWC for undergrad. “I attended GSA at Wesleyan for three weeks in July 2014. I really enjoyed working with some of the Wesleyan faculty and fell in love with the campus. When I came to tour the school again in the fall of my senior year, I just felt completely at home. All of the staff and faculty made me feel welcome, and showed that they truly cared about my interests and aspirations.”
When asked about how WVWC encouraged her inclination to explore the world around her, Lohmann said, “More than anything else, Wesleyan has opened my eyes to the world and created a huge sense of wanderlust.
I have always loved exploring and travelling, but after my study abroad experience last summer and being able to travel to Paris, Prague, and Florence with the WVWC Honors Program, I have been able to experience first-hand many ideas and topics I have learned about in the classroom at Wesleyan. These experiences made me more curious and realize that the world is much more similar than we often like to portray.”
Currently, Lohmann is unsure where she’s headed next fall, though she is in the process of finishing applications for law schools and graduate programs in Public Administration and Public Health. “I hope to get a master’s or law degree,” she said when asked about her future goals. “My dream job would be to work for the Smithsonian Institution or the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Museum.
I would love to work in international relations or law, particularly with refugees or in an area of genocide prevention. However, I am also interested in public health and health policy, as well as environmental law.”
Story written by Ali Householder, sophomore intern at West Virginia Wesleyan College.
