In May of 2006, Lauren received a BA in English with a creative writing emphasis from Whittier College. In the following years she spent time as a freelance writer and worked in the non-profit sector at Tompkins Conservation. She spent five years in sales & marketing at O.A.R.S. whitewater rafting and three in client services at Mountain Travel Sobek managing international trip packages for clients such as National Geographic Adventures and New York Times Journeys. Lauren aspires to launch her own ecotourism social enterprise in the coming years, and can often be seen at the climbing gym or on her sailboat alongside a border collie appropriately named Buoy.