Laura leads a program to support graduate students to learn and thrive while at Princeton. Her favorite part of this role is engaging directly with emerging scholars to help them identify and work toward authentic goals while cultivating a sense of purpose and meaning both within the academy and beyond it. Prior to joining Princeton in 2018, Laura was a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, where she completed a Ph.D. in Human Development and Education. Laura’s scholarly and applied work explores the potential of colleges and universities to promote young adult optimal development. She is particularly interested in the social, emotional, and academic identity development of students; well-being within university contexts; and transitions to and through higher education for under-represented minority and first-generation students, as well as for students with dis/abilities. Prior to her work in education, Laura was an independent documentary filmmaker for over ten years, producing social issue films for public television. She has a B.A. from Vassar College, an M.A. from Stanford University, and an M.S Ed. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.