“I’ve never been in one place for long,” Ludivine Laurent ‘03 said. “I probably won’t ever settle down.” Having moved around all her life and lived on three different continents, Laurent plans to travel the world and help with global issues after graduation.
Laurent, an international relations major, was born in Rome and then lived in Africa before moving to France. She lived in Chicago for 12 years before coming to Grinnell.
“At times it can be very suffocating because it’s so small,” Laurent said of Grinnell. However, she appreciates the “slower pace” of life in Grinnell and Iowa. “It allows me to think about myself and what I want to be, where I’m going next. I’ll always have a soft spot for Iowa.”
Laurent also appreciates the people at Grinnell and in Iowa, describing them as very open and friendly. “It’s harder to integrate into French society,” she said. “People make you feel at home here. There’s a sense of community.”
Laurent left Iowa temporarily to spend last fall studying abroad in Nantes, France. There, she met and became engaged to a French man, her host brother’s best friend. The two plan to wait “a couple years” before getting married.
After graduation, Laurent plans to make the trip to France again and attempt to find an internship there. She hopes to eventually attend graduate school in Paris, and then to work with the United Nations (UN) or European Union.
Laurent has always been interested in world issues, specifically those related to the environment and human rights. “That’s why I’m looking to work with an international organization after graduation,” she explained.
When Laurent arrived at Grinnell, she planned to major in biology in hopes of “doing something for the environment.” However, she eventually decided to major in international relations to “help politically with global issues instead of scientifically,” she said.
Laurent got a taste of her potential future careers when she used a Rosenfield grant to complete two internships in France last summer, one with a global development firm and the other with a French newspaper, Le Monde Diplomatique. “It was interesting to observe and be immersed in that sort of situation,” she said.
Where exactly Laurent will wind up is up in the air, but she’s open to living most anywhere. “I want to go where I can help people,” she said.
—Jen Walsh