History major Kathleen Jochman curated an exhibit of photos she took during her summer study abroad trip to Galway, Ireland. The exhibit is on display in the second-floor gallery at the University City Public Library. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)

A person’s eye could be drawn to any number of images while perusing the photography exhibit University of Missouri–St. Louis senior Kathleen Jochman created and curated from her summer study abroad trip to Galway, Ireland.

From the colorful houses looking out over Galway Bay and scenes from Ireland’s lush green countryside to rich historic sites such as the Irish Workhouse Centre and the Neolithic megalith Poll na Brón, Jochman assembled a striking collection from among the thousands of pictures – hundreds on film and many more digital – she took during her month on the Emerald Isle.

Photos Kathleen Jochman took during her summer study abroad trip to Ireland hang on a gallery wall at the University City Public Library. (Click to enlarge image)

Jochman, a history major on track to graduate at the end of this semester, has been excited to display her work – and share a few historical lessons from her trip – this month in the second-floor gallery at the University City Public Library.

“I keep talking about the magic of Ireland, and that’s something I really tried to capture in these photos,” Jochman said as she spoke to a collection of family members and friends who gathered for the exhibit’s opening reception on Sept. 5.

Eamonn Wall, who led the study abroad trip and retired at the end of August as the Smurfit-Stone Corporation Professor of Irish Studies at UMSL, found himself drawn to one shot, in particular, because of its symbolism.

“There’s one photograph that appeals to me in a different way, where you have an open doorway and a blue door,” Wall told those in attendance when Jochman invited him to “say a few words” at the event. “It’s one of many that are absolutely gorgeous. But this strikes me as the portal into all of the other ones, where you were brought into this marvelous experience.”

Seizing the opportunity

Truth be told, the doorway to studying abroad in Ireland actually opened to Jochman last fall back at UMSL when, with the encouragement of her longtime partner, Brennen, she started looking into the Galway program and applied for a scholarship to help fund a lifelong dream to experience her ancestral homeland.

Jochman, who was raised in an Irish Catholic family and grew up learning Irish dance in Peoria, Illinois, said she was inspired to look into study abroad by one of her co-workers from the circulation desk at the U. City Public Library, an UMSL alum who took part in the Galway program nearly a decade earlier. She found support throughout the application process from Maggie Hook, the study abroad manager for UMSL Global.

Eamonn Wall, the recently retired Smurfit-Stone Corporation Professor of Irish Studies, speaks during a reception to mark the opening of Kathleen Jochman’s photo exhibit at the University City Public Library. Wall led the summer study abroad trip that Jochman took to Galway, Ireland.

When Jochman found out in February that she had been awarded not one but two study abroad scholarships, she was determined to take full advantage of the opportunity and experience as much of Ireland and its often difficult history as she could cram into four-plus weeks.

Wall noticed that passion and enthusiasm right away.

“She has an amazing curiosity,” Wall said, “and the minute she arrived in Galway, she was out the door to seek, to go to this castle, to go to this cafe, to go to this bookshop, to go to this pub. So, she hit the ground running, and in every way that’s ideal.

“She is an extremely attentive person. You can be in Ireland. You can enjoy Ireland, but not everybody notices things, and Kathleen, while she was there, was able to see and appreciate it and discover all the nuances of Ireland and of the Irish experience.”

Much of it she brought back with her in the photos of artwork on buildings, ancient ruins, grass, flowers, churches, sheep, cats, swans, seagulls, pubs and city streets.

She took courses in archaeology and Irish history and got to experience both up close, including visiting the prehistoric fort of Dún Aonghasa, located on one of the three Aran Islands guarding the mouth of Galway Bay. She also learned about the Great Hunger – often referred to in the United States as the Irish Potato Famine – which led to the emigration of more than a million Irish people, including her ancestors, around the globe.

An indirect path

Jochman’s trip also afforded her plenty of time to think, both about past struggles and triumphs.

“It was the first time I didn’t have to work since I was probably 15,” Jochman said. “That kind of freedom was something I hadn’t felt in a really long time, especially as an adult.”

Kathleen Jochman talks to University City Public Library staff member David Bowser about some of the photographs on display from her summer study abroad trip to Galway, Ireland.

Her educational journey has not followed a straight path. She briefly took classes at a community college after finishing high school in 2011 but soon quit and spent much of the next decade working a series of retail and service industry jobs, first in Peoria and later in St. Louis after moving to be with Brennen.

Several events coalesced to lead her back to school at the beginning of 2021. One was the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the extra time it afforded her in her daily life. The other was the decision she made to become sober, which she said has changed the way she’s seen herself and her priorities.

“Everything is because I decided to get sober,” Jochman said. “I feel so much more confident in my abilities as a student.”

Jochman first returned to the classroom at St. Louis Community College–Forest Park, where she spent two years taking general education requirements while she charted an academic and career path. She found herself choosing a number of history and anthropology classes and was really drawn to the material, so she decided to choose history as her major.

Right around the time she made that decision, Jochman recalls being in the library at SLCC and seeing one of the reference librarians assist another student. A light bulb went off that that could be a career. She decided to look into job openings at local libraries to gain some experience while continuing her studies. She wound up getting hired as a circulation clerk at the U. City Public Library in April 2023.

Jochman transferred to UMSL the following January, attracted by its affordable tuition and the accessibility of its campus using public transportation. She quickly found a home in the history department.

“It’s been amazing,” Jochman said. “I’ve taken several classes with Dr. [Laura] Westhoff. Her teaching style has been instrumental in kind of molding what I want to do in the future.”

A career calling

Jochman’s career plans have evolved over the past two years at UMSL. She had the idea when she started of pursuing a master’s degree in library science after completing her bachelor’s degree, and that remains her intended next step. She’s in the process of applying to the online master’s program at the University of Missouri–Columbia.

Friends and family members listen as Kathleen Jochman shares historical lessons she learned during her study abroad trip as part of a presentation at the opening reception for her photo exhibit on Sept. 5.

But after some reflection, Jochman has also realized that she would like to specialize as an archivist.

“I love what archivists do,” she said. “They’re so excited to research for people and help. I’ve been helped out. I think I had a project last year involving the archdiocese archive. I reached out to somebody, and she got back by the end of the day with a Google drive full of information. That was exactly what I needed, and I want to do that for other people.”

No matter where life takes Jochman after graduation or how her career unfolds, she will be forever grateful for her time at UMSL and particularly the opportunity it afforded her to go to Ireland.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought that studying abroad would be possible,” Jochman said. “I just didn’t think it would be in the cards for me as a nontraditional student and an adult who returned after many years to attend college. Part of the reason why I wanted to do this little talk with the gallery show is to help others like me realize that it is possible, especially with UMSL. I received so much more in Galway than I could have ever imagined.”

Jochman’s exhibit will remain on display at the University City Public Library through Sept. 25.