Lorelei Loveridge ’26G has never been someone to sit still. Having traveled across the globe numerous times to teach, her adventures have led her to unique accomplishments. Now Lehigh is helping her achieve another feat.
From Canada, to the United Kingdom and the Middle East, Loveridge has pursued writing, music and taught English for 11 years at the Al-Taif International School in Saudi Arabia. She’s recorded two studio albums, has a third on the way, and has written an unpublished memoir.
The 57-year-old is pursuing her next adventure: private practice counseling. She chose Lehigh’s International School Counseling program through the College of Education to help her achieve her goal and is currently completing a practicum and internship at the American School of Kuwait.
“I’m a storyteller dressed up as a teacher and as a songwriter, but fundamentally at the root of it, counseling is an essential part of my life, because the stories of our lives are the forces for healing,” Loveridge said.
Growing up in the rural countryside of Edmonton, Canada, Loveridge said she had a lot of time to read, make music and dream. She was inspired to travel internationally as soon as she could. She aimed for England, the birthplace of her late grandfather.
When career plans fell through in England, Loveridge took the chance and moved to Saudi Arabia where she took up teaching and found her calling in international education.
“They say when one thing is not going well, find another. I think that's me,” Loveridge said. “I move from one thing to another, but I'm first a teacher.”
For Loveridge, the arts have been an undercurrent of support through whatever life throws her way. After the loss of her father during the COVID-19 lockdown, Loveridge turned to music to help her cope.
However, Loveridge admits music and writing are her secondary career paths. After traveling back and forth from the United Kingdom and the Middle East for over 20 years to teach, one passion steamrolls all the rest: teaching.
Loveridge has always innately turned to teaching to ground her career. Education provides her with a sense of community and purpose.
“I love being part of a school system, in a school community,” Loveridge said. “It's like being in charge of your own kingdom in a way. Having all of those classes and being part of a community is a big part of what I want in my life — healthy balance of autonomy and freedom with communal responsibility.
Loveridge’s path to eventually counseling in a private practice setting while maintaining her international presence in schools was Lehigh’s International Education master’s program.
Currently completing her practicum in Kuwait, Loveridge was drawn to Lehigh's program because of the international, hands-on opportunities. Before living in Kuwait, Loveridge completed her first INCO summer institute in Athens, Greece; after her first year in Kuwait, she completed her second in Bangkok.
The M.Ed. International School Counseling program is designed for students living outside the United States who work at international schools with students from different countries, including the United States. Students are able to take classes in a hybrid format to maintain their presence internationally.
Like many other Lehigh International School Counseling students, Loveridge is a full-time teacher while completing her degree requirements. She is currently head of grade 8 advisory at the American School of Kuwait where she teaches counseling content through her classes. Next year, she joins the high school counseling team and teaches advisory in that division.
Loveridge also hopes to use her Lehigh education to focus on existential therapy, using her past experiences to inform her future practices.
Loveridge says she missed steps in her own career path and wants to be someone who can prevent others from making those same mistakes. She currently coaches international educators seeking placements and hopes to someday establish a career counseling practice to help students identify their passions and guide them on the path toward achieving their dreams.
One of the most rewarding parts of Loveridge's graduate program is the relationship she has formed with her supervisors and mentors, a Lehigh graduate from the U.S. and the M.S. counselor from Lebanon. These relationships have enabled her to understand her role as a counselor through a multicultural lens.
“I want to be doing what I love, and that is what's brought me straight to the heart of my next step in life: I want to be a counselor,” Loveridge said. “I've always talked to students about chasing their dreams.”
Story by Sydney Weaver '25
