Laura Bennett

Laura Bennett serves as the Assistant Dean for the Pre-College Programs within Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. Laura oversees all aspects of the Pre-College Program, which offers rigorous courses for high achieving high school students and serves nearly 5000 domestic and international students annually. Collaborating with the Associate Dean of Continuing Education, she oversees the creation and implementation of new projects within the Pre-College programs.

Laura has worked in the field of education for 20 years. Prior to this position, she served as a high school teacher and teacher leader in the South Bronx for 13 years. During her tenure as a teacher, she was awarded several prestigious travel fellowships, including two Fund for Teachers Fellowships, a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellowship, and a Heifer International Study Tour for Educators Fellowship. Through the Fund for Teachers Fellowships, she studied women of the ancient world in Greece, Turkey, and Croatia, as well as human rights violations in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. The Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Fellowship provided opportunities to travel and teach in Morocco, while the Heifer International Study Tour took her to Honduras, where she studied poverty in rural communities.

Laura has two Master’s degrees in Education and Educational Leadership.