Ph.D. Student
Biography
Although Lauren considers herself to be an Ohioan she is originally from S.W. Florida. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology with a certificate in Islamic Studies from The Ohio University. Lauren also attended one of the top Africanist programs at Ohio University for her graduate coursework in International Studies with a concentration in African Studies. During her graduate work she focused on U.S. foreign policy in the Horn of African countries of Somalia and Eritrea and U.S. counter terrorism operations in the region. Lauren also holds certificates in counter terrorism studies and the Anthropology of Social Media, as well as, several other social media and political communications certificates.
Lauren interned and worked in non-profit agencies before transitioning into working for higher education institutions to focus on student outreach to diverse and underrepresented students. She has also used her experience in anthropology to inform her background in social media strategy, outreach programs, and event planning for a variety of organizations like the American Islamic Congress, African Students Union, Byrd School of Business, and more.
Lauren moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in the summer of 2016 from the Washington D.C. area, with her husband to join the Department of Anthropology. She started taking courses in the department in Spring of 2017. Lauren currently works for the School of Advertising and Public Relations at UTK as a Coordinator. She works with students, young alumni, and faculty developing outreach programs, doing social media, creating web content, and providing support to the department. Lauren sits on a number of committees at the university including Social Media Week, CCI Diversity and Inclusion committee, and more.
Research
Political and Legal Anthropology, Warfare and Militarization, Horn of Africa, Human Rights, Terrorism and State Sponsored Terrorism