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640 Humboldt Avenue
St. Paul
MN
55102

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Laura Orris

Email:

laura.orris@spps.org

BA in English Education- University of Wisconsin River Falls

Laura Orris

I grew up in the small, picturesque town of Osceola, Wisconsin, which is nestled in the St. Croix Valley. I spent most of my childhood exploring the outdoors or lost in a book. I have two older brothers, Daniel and Nathan, who both still live in Wisconsin. My father died on my first day of eighth grade, so I have an acute understanding of how difficult middle and high school can be. Because of certain teachers I had and how they treated me, I was inspired to become a teacher. 

The study abroad opportunities at the University of Wisconsin- River Falls brought me there to pursue my undergraduate degree in English Education. I spent a semester studying abroad in a palace in Edinburgh, Scotland, where I made many friends that I still remain close with to this day. I also spent a very sweaty summer teaching English at summer camps in Japan along with one of the coldest nights of my life after hiking to the top of Mount Fuji to watch the sunrise. For my student teaching, I spent half of it in Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands, where I lived with a Dutch family and was able to learn a lot about the culture and customs. After graduating, I did not want to live in another small Wisconsin town, so I moved to Saint Paul. 

My first apartment in the Twin Cities was on Grand Ave and I would take the bus to where I worked for a summer at the Saint Paul Downtown Dunn Brothers (which no longer exists). Dunn Brothers is where I met my partner, Jared. I spent a few years substitute teaching, trying to decide where I would want to try and find a teaching position. I vowed to never work at a school that didn’t have a library. The philosophy and students at OWL made this school one of my top choices. Luckily for me, a media specialist position became available, and it was quite literally a dream come true. 

After being hired as the OWL media specialist, I only had my Bachelor’s in English Education, therefore, I’m currently seeking my Master’s in Library and Information Science at St. Catherine University, which is completely online. I bought my first home in the summer of 2023 in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul and I’ve been very busy making improvements and decorating.