Laura Rabinow ’08 is devoted to St. Lawrence because she realizes that everything she does affects both the University and her peers.  “It’s easy to find something you’re passionate about here and get involved,” she says.  “I was able to find groups that are just as passionate about the same things as I am and help those groups move forward.”

Being part of student government gives Laura the chance to make St. Lawrence a better place.  The Delmar, N.Y. resident and graduate of Bethlehem Central High School is responsible for keeping up communication among students, faculty and staff.  “I want to create a conversation on campus,” she says.  “I want everyone to be aware of how different groups can help each other, the policies being implemented and the issues that we face as a community.”

Laura, a government major and a performance and communication arts minor, is playing a role in “Go Beyond,” a program to educate students on sexual violence.  “It’s a really vital program on a college campus,” Laura says.  “It’s not something that can be easily talked about, and it should be.”

She is also in charge of SLU Reuses, an initiative that asks students to donate used items instead of throwing them away, then resells them the following fall.  “It gives students an alternative to throwing everything away at the end of year,” she says.  “It saves money for the school and for the students who pay little to nothing for the items they need, but it also decreases our community’s negative impact on the environment.”

Laura lives in the Greenhouse, a theme cottage on campus where students live in a low-impact environment.  “I see how students integrate environmentally friendly policies into their lives every day and know I can do the same,” she says. Laura hopes to study on St. Lawrence’s program in Kenya next semester. “Living in Kenya and experiencing how the people there interact with their environment is something I may never have the opportunity to do again,” she explains.