Young Alumna Profile - Loretta Mulligan |
Association President's Message Honorary Degree for James Orbinski '80 It's not just books anymore: The New Information Commons Helping students deal with stress Bronze Medal for Trent's virtual tour Tim Holland '76 - Working for Change
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by Francy Poapst '81
As part of the curriculum, she took courses such as Marketing, Strategic Management, Management Thought and Entrepreneurship, but her forte was Economics. Teachers like Professor Katheryn Campbell '65, Dr. Arvin, Professor Bishop, Professor Newhouse and Professor Kitchen (among others) helped to steer her in the right direction and contributed to her current success. In her fourth year, Loretta Abrahamse married Brian Mulligan and she gave birth to her first child, Amanda, in the spring of that year as she completed her degree. (Loretta would attest to the great benefits of Prof. Kitchen's lectures and tutorials, as Amanda was present for most of them and was 'very good' while in attendance!) After convocation, Loretta moved to Ajax, Ontario to join the London Life Company's General Sales division. It was here that she began to put varied experiences gained at Trent to work. Several of the courses she'd taken fostered excellent skills in communications and presentation. Utilizing knowledge acquired in the classroom, she developed concrete communication styles and presented result-oriented programs with ease. She attributes this success to small group teaching methods. As a student, it is sometimes difficult to express oneself in a clear and concise manner. However, as Loretta notes, "Trent gave me an exclusive learning experience that was fostered by the small class sizes the nature of Trent's teaching style gave me the confidence to communicate my feelings and thoughts, and present to a group without fear." Loretta eventually left London Life (the commute did not make sense) to work with her husband at State Farm Insurance where she works in the Life and Disability section. This is where it gets really interesting. For the past four years, Loretta has been a prominent member of the Women's Business Network. As President this year, she is proud to be associated with supportive women of the community who help to 'promote each others' business.' She feels lucky to " have had the pleasure of working with successful women with excellent vision," and to be able to "support women entering and staying in business." In addition to her role with the WBN, Loretta is a Director at Large for the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce Board. While in step with the 'dynamic' staff and other directors there, she is gaining valuable experiences, taking her even further up the challenging ladder of business. At the moment, Loretta works part time while she looks after Milissa who recently turned one. And Brian is quick to help when she needs to attend WBN and Chamber of Commerce meetings. She is looking forward to returning to work on a full time basis, presumably so that she may continue to build upon the wonderful knowledge, skills and experiences she's acquired. As one of the recent Trent alums, she moves forward knowing that her alma mater has served her well. |