PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Born in Drolshagen, Germany, Felicitas Loske is not your typical Prairie View A&M University MBA graduate. As the mother of three young children, she enters the next stage of life with three degrees in hand and a Gib niemals auf (never give up) spirit to inspire others.
She came to the U.S. as an exchange high school student, returned to Germany, and came back to Texas for college. Now, Loske plans to combine her passion and experience in clinical laboratory science, business, construction, and customer service to pursue a promising career helping others.
“I hope to display meaningful, servant leadership as I grow,” said Loske. “Having a positive impact on the people I encounter is important to me. I enjoy solving problems, so continuing to be empowered to do so is also important to me. Ideally, I would grow into a position in research or clinical department administration in the near future.”
Loske receives her MBA this month from PVAMU, which follows a Bachelor of Science in molecular genetics technology from UT MD Anderson School of Health Professions (2011) and a Master of Science in clinical practice management from Texas Tech University Health Science Center (2013).
“I started my graduate studies in business at PVAMU in 2015, but I took a break after the Spring 2016 semester since my daughter was born in the fall of 2015,” said Loske. “I returned to the program in Fall 2019, determined to finish what I started.”
Taking Care of Business
Loske works full time, which includes raising her three children, all under the age of 10, and running a household with her husband. However, she still has found time to complete the prerequisites for joining a development cohort at MD Anderson that will help her achieve her long-term career goals.
In addition to the opportunity at MD Anderson, Loske is looking at pursuing internship opportunities she found through PVAMU to broaden her experience.
“I have also found a coach and a mentor to further fine tune those important soft skills,” said Loske. “I love working at MD Anderson because their mission to cure cancer by combining clinical expertise with cutting-edge research—and truly caring for the whole patient—aligns with my personal values.”
Mentoring has played a large role in Loske’s success at PVAMU, and she hopes to pay it forward once she graduates and becomes established in her career. While at PVAMU, Loske said she had a chance to mentor an undergraduate student who also works at MD Anderson and “would love to continue doing that.”
“I have also been able to apply some of the skills I have learned in the MBA program by participating in and leading some process-improvement initiatives at work,” said Loske.
The biggest challenge Loske has faced during her time at PVAMU has certainly been juggling child rearing with a full-time job, pursuing her degree, and her role as a wife.
“Let’s just say that juggling motherhood, a full-time job, and an MBA program is not for the faint-hearted,” said Loske. “It means lots of late nights, early mornings, and sacrifices on all of our parts. I’m grateful for my husband, who often tackled bath-time and bedtime by himself.”
In hindsight, Loske considered her journey and how gender roles play a part in the definition and determination of success for women in her position.
“I often wonder if, as women, we can have it all: the family and the career,” said Loske. “I think that this is possible, but it requires sacrifices and honest communication. This starts with reaching out to my professors when I knew I would have a conflict—like having baby number 3—but also includes being honest with superiors and colleagues at work, as well as my husband when the workload was just too much to accomplish. You’d be surprised how much the people around you want to see you succeed.”
The Taste of Texas
When Loske decided to return to Texas for college, she said her friends and family had mixed reactions because of the international media attention the U.S. has received. While many Germans are fond of Texas and its “Old West” appeal, inspired by the writing of German novelist Karl May, the stories of gun violence and police brutality paint a different picture, said Loske.
One other topic of conversation that comes up is the difference in health care access.
“Most Germans know that the real Texas is not quite like the movies,” said Loske, “though they do ask whether people actually ride horses and wear cowboy hats. On the other hand, many Germans, including my friends, are quite aware of the differences in cost of and access to healthcare, as well as the political issues and police brutality that has been on the news over the past few years.”
“Germans are very used to health care as a right, not a privilege, and living in a world where gun violence is a non-issue. So, I would say that my friends and family have mixed emotions about me living here.”
Prairie View for the Win
Even though her family, apart from her husband and children, still lives in Germany, Loske said that PVAMU has offered an extended family with which to connect, as well as opportunities galore for career placement and advancement.
“I was always amazed at the number of internships and job opportunities the university distributed,” said Loske. “PVAMU provided an amazing opportunity to network and build relationships with other students. The instructors are engaged and really care about our success. I also feel that the pride and culture of PV, as an HBCU, transfers to all its students and graduates.”
Of course, as a German, none of Loske’s family members attended PVAMU, but she said several of her husband’s family members did attend PVAMU. Loske said both of her parents are educators, so there have always been high stakes when it comes to attaining an education.
Her criteria for finding a winning MBA program checked off one by one after researching PVAMU’s offerings.
“The PVAMU graduates and students I have met in a professional setting always stood out as superior in professionalism and knowledge,” said Loske. “The flexibility of the classes at PVAMU being online, hybrid, and on campus allowed me to continue to work full time. The program offers one of the best values amongst other comparable MBA programs in the area.”
“The sense of community amongst the students and how invested the professors are in the students’ success is what I love most about Prairie View. Even as an online program, throughout the pandemic, I have formed lasting connections with many of my classmates. Shout out to our Mommy club!”
When asked what advice she would give to students still making their way through the grind of everyday college work, Loske said the most important thing is to never give up.
“It is never the perfect time to go back to school, so don’t quit or take a break,” Loske said. “Take advantage of every opportunity you get, make connections, and enjoy learning. If you get frustrated, ask for help. Most importantly: Communicate with your classmates, your advisor, and your professors.”
“Remember: You are supposed to be in that room. You earned your seat at that table. You are exactly where you belong.”
By Kerry Laird
-PVAMU-