(Brent Schwert)
Lawrence alum Laura Zuege ’03 is now in her third year as the London Centre Hall Director and Programme Manager.
Zuege grew up in Green Bay, Wis. and graduated from Lawrence with degrees in both government and environmental studies. She spent three of her four years at Lawrence proudly living in Plantz Hall.
After graduating, Zuege worked for a year at Ripon College as a residence hall director. After that job, Zuege says, she decided that she really wanted to be in London working with Lawrence students.
Both working in residence life and going to the London Centre as a student herself were important aspects of her Lawrence career that lead to her current job.
“When I came to the London Centre as a student, I had never been out of the country and this was the longest I’d been out of Wisconsin. I cannot overstate the impact my time at the London Centre had on my worldview, self-confidence, and knowledge of what I wanted in life.”
The main aspect of Zuege’s job is to make sure the center runs as smoothly as possible and to help the Lawrence students in London to have the most exciting, educational and valuable term possible.
In essence, Laura is the residence hall director of the London Centre. This aspect of her job entails knowing general information about the center and London, taking care of emergencies, and providing programs for students.
The program manager aspect of her job includes taking care of administrative aspects of the courses offered, such as scheduling day trips, concerts and longer trips.
“One of the things I enjoy most about my job is that I’m working with people who are enthusiastic about helping our students make the best academic and social use of their time in London,” Zuege says.
“It’s really great to know that over the course of a term, students have the ability to become Londoners and make an individualized and unique experience of the city through the experiential learning of the courses and their exploration and travel.”
As for living in London, Zuege says, “I honestly find London to be the most vibrant and amazing place. There is so much to get involved with here that the longer I am here, the longer my must-see list becomes. London’s history is fascinating and woven into aspects of life and the city that I find completely different from the US. I can’t imagine having lived anywhere else for the past few years.”
She adds, “Personally, I think it’s fantastic that each term I can see London through the fresh eyes of a new group of students — it helps to keep London exciting and new for me.
