Laura was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is proud of her multi-ethnic roots, with her dad’s side from Oaxaca, Mexico, and her mother’s side with Polish/Slovak roots. She received her B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University and her Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Connecticut (UConn). Today, Laura is an environmental educator as an Assistant Extension Professor at UConn. As Director of UConn’s Natural Resources Conservation Academy, her work is devoted to providing place-based, culturally-relevant programs that support and empower teens and community partners as they carry out local environmental action projects. She also volunteers with Latino Outdoors to connect her love of cultura, outdoors and ecology.