Johanna Ghei

Johanna grew up in rural Minnesota. After her mother was appointed Ambassador to Denmark, Johanna moved to Copenhagen, where she became fluent in Danish and attained her diploma at Aurehøj Gymnasium. She went on to study at Reed College and the University of Minnesota, completing a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology. At Minnesota, she met and married her husband, Som, a psychologist from India pursuing a Ph.D. with a Fulbright Scholarship. Johanna and Som had three children: Gita, Kiren, and Raman.

Johanna developed a long and varied career in the field of psychology, first specializing in Child Psychology, including working to establish the effectiveness of the Head Start program; and evaluating mental health in children and adolescents. She later expanded her involvement in the field, completing her Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a licensed psychologist, Johanna focused in the areas of grief and loss, women’s self-esteem, and trauma. She established a private practice working with her colleague and close friend, Bonnie Gunnon. Johanna passed away on October 3, 2022. Her family and friends remember Johanna’s caring and generous spirit. She will be deeply missed.

Johanna established the Som N. Ghei and Ram Kaur Ghei Scholarship in 1985 in memory of her late husband, Som N. Ghei (1925-1985) and his mother, Ram Kaur Ghei (1903-1981). Som often spoke of how much his mother would have liked to obtain a higher education – something she was unable to do because of societal expectations in their native India. In part because of this, he was especially happy to encourage and support his students to continue their studies. In turn, his family is pleased to continue his intentions through this scholarship.

Som Ghei was a professor of psychology at UW Oshkosh from 1968 until 1985. His interests ranged widely from social issues to the fields of psychology, religion, literature, and philosophy. Within psychology, his major study and research was in personality theory, personality across cultures, consciousness, dreaming, and early memories. He enjoyed theoretical and philosophical inquiry and encouraged his students to similarly ask questions that would expand their fundamental human awareness and understanding.