Ryan Lohr understands the power of a well-communicated idea. Communication is central to Lohr’s life experiences, in multiple languages and settings. The senior NROTC midshipman recalls one message that he heard loud and clear — the one that would shape the course of his life.
Around Veteran’s Day of Lohr's junior year in a suburban Philadelphia high school, alumnus and United States Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni — former commander in chief of U.S. Central Command — was a guest speaker. His words that day left an indelible mark.
“He inspired me,” Lohr says. “The idea that even though I didn’t have any specific talents...I had the ability to join the Marine Corps, be an officer in the Marine Corps, and the idea that if I worked hard enough, I could be something special and make the world a better place.”
At USC, Lohr has striven to do just that. Through majors in global studies and political science, as well as minors in Islamic world studies and naval science, Lohr has explored conflicts and military involvement around the world, particularly the Middle East. He’s determined to use his cross-cultural communication skills to build diplomatic relations, and he earned a 2024 Rotary Global Grant to continue studying peace and conflict resolution at the University of Brussels in Belgium.
This won’t be the first time Lohr has learned abroad. He realized early that, to grow as a communicator, he couldn’t just talk about the world in his classes — he needed to engage with the world.
“Through studying abroad and learning so much, I found my niche, which is not only international relations like global studies,” says Lohr, “but also in having a future, hopefully within the Marine Corps, being able to work in some kind of diplomatic-type realm.”
A global classroom
Upon arriving at USC, Lohr discovered another Marine Corps mentor. His advisor, Capt. Kevin Cameron, recognized Lohr’s drive and encouraged him to pursue outside-the-classroom activities such as Project Global Officer (GO), a Department of Defense-sponsored program that provides immersive language-learning experiences for ROTC students.
“He was always on me: ‘Go take this opportunity. Go take this opportunity. Go take this opportunity,’” says Lohr.
Lohr would need all the encouragement he could get in Fez, Morocco, for his first Project GO summer. He lived with a host family in the heart of the Medina and spoke no Arabic. He describes the first two weeks as “an absolute nightmare” due to the language barriers and culture shocks.
“But at the same time ... going to Morocco is one of the most impactful experiences I’ve ever had because it put the rest of my life in perspective,” says Lohr.
Early on, one of the family’s aunts washed all of Lohr’s clothes by hand. That night, he walked to the roof, where his clothes were hanging to dry beside the family’s.
“I saw the rest of the family’s clothes — probably five or six people — and my clothes took up the same amount of space as the whole family’s did,” says Lohr. “That single event, that single scene puts into perspective what I have on a daily basis.”
Throughout the summer, Lohr adapted, learned Arabic and began to thrive. He returned to the United States more confident in his cultural communication skills and empowered to handle any challenge that school or the Marine Corps could pose.
Lohr earned the Project GO fellowship again, studying in Oman in the summer of 2023. That same summer, he was one of six ROTC students in the country to participate in the National Security Education Program’s Iris Burton Bulls Fellowship in Washington, D.C.
The opportunity to meet with foreign area officers and Pentagon officials was “probably one of the biggest turning points I had,” says Lohr, “finally seeing it and realizing it, talking to people who do it. You know, just that epiphany that this is what I want to do.”
Through studying abroad and learning so much, I found my niche, which is not only international relations like global studies, but also in having a future, hopefully within the Marine Corps, being able to work in some kind of diplomatic-type realm.
Crossing spaces
His next step is pursuing a master’s degree, funded by a Rotary Global Grant of $30,000 to $45,000 for a year of graduate study abroad in one of Rotary’s seven areas of focus. Lohr will focus on promoting peace and conflict prevention.
He knows it’s somewhat unconventional for an NROTC midshipman to detour to grad school. He’s inspired by Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, who wrote Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam while attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“He was a junior officer at the time, and the idea that you’re able to cross spaces like that is so interesting to me,” says Lohr.
He will focus on Iraq as a modern example of “maintenance of existing institutions within transitional democracies.” He also wants to work with Arabic-speaking refugees in his host city, learning more about the communities he plans to serve in his USMC career. Lohr hopes to combine state-building and cross-cultural communication to make progress toward peace and stability in the Middle East and North Africa, a challenge the United States has faced for over 30 years.
Throughout the application process, Lohr worked with national fellowships advisor Heidi Bretz and Vista Night Rotary Club members to refine his application and goals — and, once again, grow as a communicator.
“Openness to feedback is very important — the humility to be able to recognize when change is necessary and also to be able to recognize when good ideas are presented to you,” he says.
Lohr is now communicating with others about how they can use their talents to make positive contributions to the world around them.
“This year has been passing on my experiences to all the underclassmen,” Lohr reflects. “Letting them know that these experiences exist out there and not only that, but beyond ROTC, you should always be looking for those next experiences. If a couple kids can take me up on that advice and make that decision in themselves to follow down the same path, I’ll be happy.”
Learn more
National Fellowships and Scholar Programs provides support for Rotary Global Grant and Project Global Officer applicants. Students interested in learning more should contact USC’s national fellowships team.