About

Esther Laaninen, an international affairs and human services major, graduated with a perfect academic record. Laaninen worked with children throughout her time at Northeastern, from her participation in Peace Through Play, a Northeastern service-learning organization, to mentoring young girls and teaching English in Zambia and Nicaragua.

Following a course on conflict in Ireland, Laaninen focused her research on preventing youth violence and improving education in post-conflict areas. Laaninen’s Fulbright Fellowship has taken her to the University of Magdelena in Santa Marta, Colombia where she is teaching English and conducting a service project exposing at-risk children to the arts as a way to prevent violence.