Laura has overcome a lot to get where she is today. With her father in prison she sought emancipation at age 16, but it was denied. Not wanting to be stuck in the system she ran to an older boyfriend who betrayed her by trafficking her. She got away from him at 19 and began to rebuild her life. During the last few years, she has been working multiple jobs while putting herself through college at CSULB, and graduated in May 2023. She is also creative, and her art was featured in a CSULB article. She has also attended counseling to work on her trauma and has been thriving.