Laura Escher – a fifth-year student majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Economics and a minor in French – was selected to be a 2022 Torchbearer 100 Inductee for her significant leadership and service accomplishments at Florida State University.
Reflecting on her decision to attend FSU, Escher said, “I knew that I would be challenged to become the best version of myself. I loved FSU’s attention to student satisfaction, campus life, and academic integrity. I was excited by all the possibilities of campus involvement and friends I could make along the way. Attending FSU is one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I am incredibly proud to be a part of the FSU community.”
In addition to her involvement with Catholic Student Union, Japanese Student Association, The Kudzu Review, ACE tutoring, and the College of Music’s Choral Union, she also served as a Fall 2021 Freshmen Interest Group (FIG) Leader, English Conversation Club Facilitator, and Askew Student Life Center Film Committee Member.
As a 2021 Social Science Scholar, Escher attended French language school in Montpellier and completed service work with the Hospitalité Notre Dame de Lourdes in July 2021.
“My most impactful experience at FSU was going abroad to France with the help of the Social Science Scholar Program,” she said. “While there, I had the opportunity to use French language daily by living with a host family for two weeks and attending intensive French language school every day. I also went on to Lourdes, France, to perform service work and have my first internship at the Bureau des Constatations Médicales.”
The Social Science Scholars Program, housed within the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, is a highly competitive leadership development program for exceptional undergraduates in the College. Students participate in a leadership seminar in the spring that prepares them for internships, research, and service projects the following summer semester, and upon return in the fall, complete a reflection course. Scholars receive funding up to $5,000 for approved travel and other expenses to help make their projects and internships a reality.
Escher also earned FSU’s Global Citizenship Certificate, which helps prepare students to work in a globally engaged world after graduation through a combination of academic courses and experiential learning opportunities.
In Summer 2022, Escher interned with the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C., an independent graduate school founded to supply professional education in statecraft, national security, intelligence, and international affairs.
In addition to her on-campus involvement, Escher began studying classical piano under the private instruction of Dr. Diana Dumlavwalla in 2018. She has continued to take annual piano performance examinations through the Royal Conservatory of Music and is currently at Piano Level 9.
Upon graduation in Spring 2023, Escher hopes to teach English abroad in Japan with the Japan Education and Training Program. Escher then plans to return to the U.S. to attend graduate school for Applied Economics, East Asian Studies, or another related field.
We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors!
To learn more about the Social Science Scholars, visit coss.fsu.edu/social-science-scholars. For more information about FSU’s International Affairs program, visit coss.fsu.edu/internationalaffairs.