JAY LOSCHKY Valparaiso ’02Jay Loschky, Valparaiso ’02, says it was his father who first inspired his dream to live and work abroad.
“When I was little, I remember sitting around a globe with him at night and going over the names of countries. My father is the kind of guy who watches all the National Geographic specials. He told me stories of other places and gave me the knowledge that it was possible for one person to play a big part in the world.”
While neither of Jay’s parents had ever traveled abroad, at nine or ten years old, he felt the distinct desire to eventually leave the U.S. and play some role in international affairs.
During his sophomore year at Valparaiso University, the aspiring undergraduate had already started to forge a path that would shape his future. He was pursuing a double major in history and economics and joined Phi Kappa Psi’s Indiana Epsilon Chapter. “Being part of Phi Psi was an experience that nothing could replace. More than anything, the brotherhood gave me the ability to get along with a wide variety of people and to see things from many different perspectives. Not everyone in college gets that chance. Nothing in my regular classes could’ve given me that.”
Being part of Phi Psi was an experience that nothing could replace. Jay Loschky
By the time he graduated, Jay had decided to pursue his Master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies at the American University of Beirut (AUB). With financial hurdles to clear first, Brother Loschky turned to Phi Kappa Psi and applied for the Wineman Fellowship for International Studies. From among a handful of candidates, he was awarded the fellowship, which defrayed tuition and expenses for the 18-month degree program.
“Ultimately,” Brother Loschky said, “I hope to work for the State Department. I’ve already secured a short-term position with a firm in Boston for whom I’ll be researching cost of living scales in different Middle Eastern areas to help them determine employee compensation for Americans working in those parts of the world.” Brother Loschky considers himself very fortunate to be where he is. “Considering what some of my classmates are doing right now, I am definitely in a good place. I’ve been blessed to be able to experience this and the Fellowship played a big part in that.”
While he’s never felt unsafe in this troubled part of the world, Jay recalls some tense moments clashes between Israel and Hezbollah broke out in Beirut. “I was stuck in Istanbul, Turkey – not knowing when I could get back to the university or whether school would be in session. It definitely taught me what people here go through with uncertainty about their daily life.”
What do Jay’s parents think of their son’s decision to live in a troubled part of the world? “Actually,” he says, “they’ve been really good about supporting me in this. I know they miss me. And since the conflict, my father …well… I know he wants me to come home.”
But the little boy who sat around the globe to hear stories of faraway places has now experienced them first hand. Brother Loschky has lived his dream.