Meet Our Staff
Laura Portalupi Leading the Way Fellow
Laura’s passion for travel was sparked by the five years she spent in Luxembourg as a child. Here she attended an international school and got a healthy dose of global cultures, foods, holidays, and languages (not to mention castles, cathedrals, and open-air museums). Laura’s later international experiences include stints teaching English in the Volta Region of Ghana and in Alsace, France.
Laura graduated from Miami University (Ohio) in 2002 with bachelor’s degrees in creative writing and French. She completed half of a Master of Fine Arts degree in poetry at George Mason University before finally scratching her decade-old itch to join the Peace Corps. From 2006 to 2008, she served as an advisor to educators at three elementary schools in rural South Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
In addition to cross-cultural exchange, Laura is passionate about animal welfare, literature, and service. She enjoys photography, exotic vegetarian cuisine, and spending time in the natural world.
From 2009-2010, Laura served as the Leading the Way Intern and she is delighted to be staying on to coordinate Global Explorers’ programs for students of mixed abilities.
