Senior Circuit: Vanessa Lauber
Wofford senior Vanessa Lauber is back, back on campus after a year of traveling abroad as the Presidential International Scholar, and back home in upstate South Carolina.
Lauber graduated from Eastside High School in Taylors, S.C. She knew she wanted a liberal arts education from a local college, but had to choose between nearby Wofford and Furman.
“It was a difficult choice,” says Lauber, “but after visiting both, Wofford's inviting campus, diverse opportunities to study abroad, and approachable faculty won me over. I haven't regretted that decision for a moment.”
The college she chose has transformed the girl from Taylors into a woman of the world, but also a woman interested in helping her little corner of it first.
“Wofford has provided me with the opportunity to be engaged with the on-campus community, the wider community of Spartanburg, and an international community,” says Lauber. “I've been a part of a number of organizations on campus that deal with environmental and social justice activism.
“During my sophomore year I was a member of the Living-Learning Community for the Arts, a residentially theme based group that tried to incorporate art events on campus, from guerilla sidewalk chalk to open-mic nights. I've also served as a section editor of Wofford's newspaper since my sophomore year.
“As a junior, I spent a semester abroad in London and got a taste of living and studying in a city rich in its cultural diversity. Last year, as Wofford's Presidential International Scholar, I continued my travels, examining the convergence of cultural preservation with ecological conservation in developing countries.”
Lauber traveled to China, Thailand, India, the Middle East, Africa, Peru, Mexico before returning home in April.
Now that she’s back and her senior year has begun, her focus is on the future.
“On arriving at Wofford, I already had it in mind that I would double major in English and history, and while I've had the opportunity to take courses in a number of different departments, I've stuck with that decision, adding a concentration in 19th-century studies,” she says. “I'm still not entirely sure what my plans are after graduation, though I am applying to graduate school, ultimately aiming at a career in academics.”