Alum Allison Loera Returns to Inspire Students with College Insights
Lorain High Alum Allison Loera Returns to Inspire Students with College Insights
Lorain —2024 Lorain High School graduate Allison Loera, now a freshman at The Ohio State University, returned to her alma mater on Thursday to speak with students about life after high school.
Lorain High teacher Sam Newsome, who teaches Intro to Business and Personal Finance, organized the visit.
Newsome, a family friend of Allison's mother, stayed in touch after Allison graduated from Lorain High in June. That commencement, held at Crushers Stadium in Avon, made headlines for the wrong reasons—a student fight overshadowed the ceremony's monumental moments. This prompted Allison to write a heartfelt post on Facebook emphasizing the achievements of her classmates, which included Lorain High's largest graduating class in recent history and more than 40 seniors earning associate degrees from Lorain County Community College.
She and other classmates also took their story to local news media.
A standout student, Allison was heavily involved at Lorain High. She captained the soccer team, played clarinet in the marching band, cheered, and was a National Honor Society member during her senior year. She competed in track and served as a Lorain International Princess, representing Puerto Rico last summer.
But on Thursday, her focus was on her new life as a Buckeye at Ohio State's Columbus campus.
Students were eager to ask questions about college life—how she picks her classes, her study habits, balancing social events, dorm life, roommates, and making new friends.
Allison shared that her time at Lorain High left her well-prepared for college, particularly in terms of time management. Taking college-level courses in high school, such as college trigonometry and English composition, allowed her to turn her four-year degree into a three-year one, giving her a head start.
"What I learned here about time management and focusing on school really prepared me for college," she said.
When asked if she regretted speaking out after the graduation incident, Allison stood firm in her response.
"I needed to make sure people knew our school has a lot to offer," she said.
Mr. Newsome hopes Allison's story will inspire his students.
"I want the kids to have hope from hearing her story, knowing that if she can do it, they can do it too," he says.