I grew up near Chicago, IL, and moved to Minneapolis to study mechanical engineering and dance at the University of Minnesota. Within mechanical engineering, I focused on biomedical and environmental engineering applications. In dance courses I learned to analyze how we communicate culture, define identity, and engage with society. I was involved in Engineers Without Borders, in leadership and designing and constructing water supply systems in Guatemala.

I received training in Asset-Based Community Development at Northwestern University, and did a related internship in India, about which I wrote in my previous blog, www.lauren-india.blogspot.com. That training and related methods continue to be influential in my work.

In 2012 I moved to La Paz, Bolivia, to develop and manage water projects between the Bolivian Methodist department of Rural Development and the Bolivian non-profit Engineers In Action. I am passionate about interdisciplinary and intercultural innovation that improves lives, communities, and natural environments, and I love working towards that in Bolivia.