Laura Brandt, MSW, LGSW (she/her) received both her Bachelor of Arts degree (2009) and Master of Social Work degree (2012) from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Laura was a Child Welfare Scholar. Following graduation, she went to work for St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services. For nearly a decade, she provided case management for the ICWA Ongoing Child Protection, Minor Parent, and Youth in Transition Programs. Her Social Work career has mainly focused on learning to walk alongside teenagers and young adults to support them in reaching their goals. She hopes to integrate what she learned from young people who aged out of the foster care system into the curriculum and field experiences at UMD. She looks forward to supporting students as they incorporate their identity & passions into their practice. Laura is very passionate about equity, inclusion, and social justice. She is dedicated to learning from the experiences of others and raising up the voices of those who are marginalized in our society. She is a mom to two humans, an avid paddle boarder, and a lover of "campering" and historic architecture.