Not many people have heard of Malagasy, the official language of the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa. But Lorin Schumacher’s students at a Baltimore-area Catholic school know about the language and the specific dialect their teacher speaks.

After Lorin graduated from Seton Hill with her English degree, she joined the Peace Corps and headed to Madagascar. There, she taught children English at a public high school and taught them about life in America. Now, her high school students love hearing about her experience overseas.

“We are preparing the future of our country and our world.”

“That’s one of the really cool things about teaching; I have a venue for doing that ... and my students get really into it,” Lorin says. “They always ask me a lot of questions."

“It was exciting – definitely life-changing,” she says about her time in the Peace Corps. “It’s always a part of me, and who I am now.”

When Lorin returned to the United States, she spent time in Nebraska caring for her brother, Adam, who had acute lymphoblastic leukemia; thankfully, he is now in remission and healthy. Meanwhile, she worked a part-time job tutoring at Huntington Learning Center. She continued to work for the company even after relocating to the Baltimore area in search of a full-time teaching position.

Lorin teaches high school English to sophomores and juniors at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School, where many inner-city students attend on a scholarship and need extra help with reading and writing skills.

“I think teaching is the most important job besides being a parent that anyone can do,” she says. “We are preparing the future of our country and our world.”

Seton Hill’s young alumni are making their mark on the world through their work in science and healthcare, finance and business, industry, entertainment and service to those in need. The Spring/Winter 2017 edition of Seton Hill’s Forward magazine featured 30 of these alumni, all under the age of 30. You can find all of their stories here on Seton Hill’s site (just look for the “30 Under 30” icon).