Recent Graduate Alumni Award

Laura Cochrun, ’09, serves as the Community Development Specialist for the Arajuno Road Project. Pursuing a lifelong dream to live and work abroad, Laura left a position in D.C. to serve as an English Language instructor in Argentina in 2013 where she served in that role for seven months before moving into her current position.

This new position with a community nonprofit organization focuses on supporting the children and families living along Ruta Arajuno in the Upper Amazon Basin of Ecuador. In this role, she helps develop existing school gardens, improves dialogue with families about nutrition, and develops nutrition education materials to be used during summer camp. 

Laura received her Bachelors of Science in Dietetics and Leadership and has recently received her Bridge (IDELT) International Diploma in English Language Teaching from BridgeTEFL Argentina. After earning her IDELT she began teaching English to business professionals throughout Buenos Aires where she improved inter-cultural communications to lawyers, bank executives, and TV producers. 

While working from 2011-2013 as a community dietitian in the Metro D.C. area, Laura helped provide community outreach and support to clients living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses. She also helped develop and provide nutritional presentations to various community and professional groups in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia regions. Laura is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.