Lauren Birks

Lauren Birks was born in raised in Dallas, Texas. Her passion for service began at a young age, but it was a high school mission trip to Honduras that opened her eyes to international service. While completing her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Teacher Certification in Middle Grades Math from The University of Texas at Austin Lauren was introduced to social work through an internship at Wediko Children's Services in Windsor, New Hampshire. Upon graduating from UT Austin Lauren hoped to pursue a Master of Social Work and the Peace Corps to further her passion in working with youth, service, and cross-cultural experiences. Through the Master’s International Program she was able to combine her graduate work and Peace Corps service. Lauren served as a Youth Development volunteer in Costa Rica, in which she appreciated having a year of grad school prior to serving to help her think and learn about global social work and the importance of cultural context. Lauren’s time in Costa Rica taught her that desiring tangible results for change is understandable, but it is the relationships you build with someone that have the lasting impressions. In her short time as Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Lauren sees how the skills she learned from her Peace Corps projects and her community are helping her implement new and creative interpersonal interventions.