Laurel graduated from Lafayette College with a BA in International Affairs and a minor in Business and Economics. While at Lafayette she concentrated her studies on international conflict, post-colonial development and economics with particular emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa and the international response to the Rwandan Genocide, the subject of her honors thesis.
After graduation Laurel took a job at Choate Rosemary Hall, an independent boarding school in Connecticut, teaching history and political science, coaching crew, and serving as a form dean. While at Choate she was also involved with the critical issues forum at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, CA. Laurel used her summers to travel extensively, working with educational initiatives and NGOs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Her work abroad cultivated her interest in examining the legacy of internal and external conflict on societies and examining the impact of rapid development on traditional culture. Her work in the classroom and beyond has also emphasized the importance of cultivating an understanding of regional and global history as a basis for navigating our increasingly interconnected world.
In whatever free time exists Laurel is always up for an adventure, happy to indulge in her love for exploring new places, meeting great people, enjoying good food, and climbing or surfing wherever there are big enough mountains and waves.
