Since graduating from Saint Joseph’s Academy, Tyra Stoehr has pursued her love of music.

Stoehr was very involved in the school’s many productions and believes those experiences changed her life for the better.

“I absolutely loved being a part of the musicals at SJA,” Stoehr shared. “They were an opportunity to push yourself and get more comfortable performing, but it was also about being with your friends and making new ones.”

She cited Bye Bye Birdie, in which she starred as Kim MacAfee, as her favorite production. 

“It was such a fun cast and an all-around great musical,” she explained. 

After high school, Stoehr attended the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, simultaneously earning a BA in theatre and dancing for a local ballet troupe. 

In her free time, Stoehr choreographed local musicals as well as swing and show choirs.

“I wanted to dance with a professional company right after high school,” Stoehr shared. “However, my mom didn’t feel it was the best choice; it can be a short-lived career. So I wound up going to UWGB.” 

Regardless, the duo settled on a compromise; in addition to her classes, Stoehr took up ballet. 

Unfortunately, two weeks before her troupe’s performance, Stoehr broke her foot in rehearsal. 

“It took six months to heal, knocking me out of what I loved for a while,” she said.

Persistently, Stoehr continued to pursue her education, taking a visiting professor from Kent State University’s acting class, one that would open her eyes to a “new world of opportunities.”

She graduated from UWGB in 1992, prior to relocating to Los Angeles “to see what the film world was like.”

Now married with two sons in college, Stoehr spends her time in the Detroit area, where she is active in the local choir and hopes to break into the theatre business.

On the advice she would give to a high school student, Stoehr emphasized the importance of resilience in the face of unpredictability.

“Life throws you curveballs,” she summarized. “Take the opportunity to learn something out of your comfort zone, laugh and don’t ever give up.”