Meet Ally Ortmann: Our June Leading Woman

Name: Ally Ortmann

Major: Strategic Communication and French

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

What are your career/life goals?

My career and life goals are to find myself at a place in my life where I feel content and fulfilled with my work and life. As of now, my primary career goal is to work in advertising, social media, or public relations with the Walt Disney Company. As for my life goals, I am working on embracing what comes, and challenging myself to let go of the notion I need to have my future all planned out.

What is your favorite part about your major and why did you choose it?

My favorite part of my Strategic Communication major is the flexibility and opportunity it allows. Strategic Communication is broad and therefore all

ows for many different career possibilities in the future. I chose Strategic Communication for this reason, and the fact that the online world is always evolving, creating a field that will continue to grow and change and my career along with it. My favorite part of my French major is the opportunity to travel and experience the world in a deeper manner, such as being able to live and intern abroad in a fully French-speaking environment. I chose to continue to learn French at Mizzou after traveling to Lyon in high school, which then pushed me to return to Lyon this summer.

What internship did you get this summer? This summer I am completing an internship with the Tribune de Lyon in Lyon, France. The Tribune is a magazine covering the Lyon area, with three other magazines under the Tribune covering various topics such as current events, cultural events, activities for families and children, and business. I work in the marketing department creating videos and photos for the four magazines’ social media accounts.

What are you most excited for about the internship?

I am most excited to gain valuable experience while experiencing French culture in the workplace. I am grateful for the opportunity to grow my Strategic Communication and French skills, as well as growing in myself and my own lived experiences.

What organizations or hobbies are you passionate about?

In Columbia,

I work at a local dual-language school called La Petite Ecole. While it is my job, I feel incredibly grateful to work with my students and watch them grow. I am someone who finds great joy in learning and experiencing as much of the world as I can, so to watch as these little humans learn and grow and experience the world is truly a gift.

How have your experiences in Theta changed you?

Theta has gifted me the most incredible group of people that have inspired me, challenged me, and embraced me every day of the last two years. My peers in Theta have helped me grow into the person I am and the person I am becoming, someone I am proud of, and that is truly a priceless gift.

What does Theta mean to you?

I joined Theta in the fall of 2020, just a few months after the start of the pandemic. I came to Mizzou during a time of such intense uncertainty and loss, and Theta provided a support system and a group of friends that I couldn’t imagine doing life without. Theta means so much, it truly is home.

Do you have any advice for the underclassmen?

Expectations lead to disappointment. The best and most impactful moments in life happen without any relation to your carefully crafted plans. And so, embrace moments and opportunities as they come, and see where you end up and who you become.

Do you have a specific favorite Theta memory?

It’s impossible to pick a favorite memory when you have so many good ones. Some honorable mentions: The Grind dates with Kate Wyman and Maddie Meyers, Emma Franklin burning bread in the six-man and setting off the fire alarm in the whole facility, when the third-floor six-man made a mega bed on our living room floor and had a sleepover, singing and dancing to “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home” after finishing 2021 fall recruitment, getting my little with Malcia Greene, late night Sonic runs with my pledge family, getting to know people better during homecoming, and so many more.