Same Family, Same Instructor, Same Class — 36 Years Apart

Lois Olson influenced the career choice of student Charo Mouritzen in 1989. Olson had Mouritzen’s son, Ryan, in the same class 36 years later.

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Near the end of the fall semester of 2025, Lois Olson, a long-time marketing lecturer in SDSU’s Fowler College of Business, was wrapping up her Marketing (BA 370) class when an unfamiliar woman walked into the classroom near the end of the lecture and took a seat toward the back of the room.

After the class ended, the woman approached Olson.“Do you remember me?” she asked. Olson, who estimates that she has taught over 37,000 students since she started at SDSU in 1988, admitted to the woman that she didn’t recognize her.

The woman introduced herself as Maria “Charo” Mouritzen and explained that she had taken this very same class as an SDSU student in 1989 with Olson as the instructor.

“I taught a section on qualitative research and told the class that if they were fluent in another language, there was good pay for those who excelled as focus group moderators,” said Olson. “That lesson resonated with Charo and she has been doing that work on a global basis as a Spanish speaker for many years now. She was coming to thank me.”

While Olson expressed her appreciation, she also asked why, after all these years, did Mouritzen decide to come forward.

Mouritzen had one more interesting surprise in store: Her son, Ryan, was a student in the class Olson had just finished.

The Mouritzen family includes three generations of Aztecs:

Carolina Mouritzen – mother/grandmother (’59, Speech Communication)

Gary Mouritzen – son/father (’93, finance)

Charo Mouritzen – daughter-in-law/mother (’91, marketing)

Ryan Mouritzen – grandson/son (’27, marketing)

Marco Mouritzen – grandson/son (’29, management)

“Ryan mentioned to me that he was taking Marketing 370, and it sort of jogged my memory,” said Mouritzen, who earned her marketing degree from SDSU in 1991. “Once he mentioned the instructor’s name was Olson and that she’d been teaching the class for nearly 40 years, I realized she was my professor for the same class!”

It was that same class that had a profound effect on Mouritzen’s life.

“After Dr. Olson finished the lecture on qualitative research, I remembered thinking, “This is fascinating! I’d be interested in doing this for a living!” said Mouritzen.

She got the chance to put those classroom lessons to the test a year after graduation when she landed a position with a small San Diego-based market research company. Over three decades later, Mouritzen is still moderating focus groups, much the way Olson talked about in her class that day.

“After I learned Ryan was taking her class, I decided to visit her and share with her how she influenced me,” said Mouritzen.

While the Mouritzens were the first confirmed case where Olson had taught two generations in the same family, her influence on their academic lives was apparent.

“I chose to become a marketing major, partly because it seemed interesting, but also because it was what my mom studied and she always talked about how much she enjoyed her work,” said Ryan, who plans to complete his marketing degree in 2027. “Copying her major wasn’t enough, so I decided to apply to SDSU as well. Eventually, I ended up with the same professor she had.”

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Although the shared classroom experience was purely coincidental, both Olson and Mouritzen were clearly moved by the events that led to the impromptu reunion.  “Seeing Dr. Olson again was exciting — I’d thought of her many times over the years,” said Mouritzen. “Learning that she was teaching my beloved son makes it even more special.”

To Olson, the reunion reaffirmed why she loves teaching. “It was so moving to know I influenced Charo’s career and very happy life,” she said. “I have been here a long time and I love what I do. But the real reward comes with the meaningful experiences like the Mouritzens.”