Volume 32, Number 2
Young Alumna Profile - Loretta Mulligan

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by Francy Poapst '81

Loretta Mulligan and child

Loretta Mulligan '92 is an Honours Administrative Studies graduate, wife, mother of two little girls, and a member of the board for both Peterborough Women's Business Network and the Chamber of Commerce. She's busy and she loves it. But, how did she get here? And what did Trent University have to do with it?

A Peterborough native, Loretta decided to move to Toronto right after high school and join the modeling world. After two years of that, and to her mother's joy, she did one year at the University of Western Ontario. Although she had always loved academics, the large classrooms were not to her liking and she did not continue there, choosing instead to model for another year. 

Coming home shortly thereafter, she had several discussions with one of her mother's boarders about the Administrative Studies Program at Trent. Knowing that she would have to have that degree behind her to further herself in the Business sector, she took the plunge and enrolled in the four-year program in 1992.

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.


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