Senior Team

Born: Cohasset, MA
Time at ACIS: since 1996
E-mail: lsmart@acis.com

Sparking the dream:

At thirteen years old, Laura earned the money for her first plane ticket and visited a friend in Sweden, sparking a passion that has influenced every aspect of her life since.  To say that Laura merely has the travel bug doesn’t quite explain it.  It’s more like a travel addiction. 

While the other kids were lifeguards or babysitting:

Laura spent her high school summer vacation in an AFS program to Peru.  For two and a half months she lived with a family and immersed herself into a culture different than her own.

When that junior semester or year isn’t quite enough:

Beginning after just her freshman year in college, Laura took part in a summer program in Guanajuato, Mexico.  She followed this up with a semester in Cologne, Germany and then on to the Universidad Compultense, Madrid for her junior year.

Once a globetrotter, always a globetrotter:

Post college graduation, Laura moved down to Costa Rica for an internship.  A few months later, she returned to Boston, waiting tables until she had saved enough money for a plane ticket, and then packed up and traveled overseas once again to live in Madrid for another year and a half.

“Over the years a favorite part of my job is meeting ACIS Group Leaders and participants overseas—from Cuba, Argentina and Costa Rica to Madrid and Paris. It is so exciting to see students on their first trip because I know the power travel has to change lives; after all, it changed mine.” - Laura