Laura Avakian

Born in the village of Warwick, New York in September of 1986, I spent the first eleven years of my life in the idyllic town of Glenwood, NJ. My childhood was filled to the brim with exciting activities - ballet, tap, gymnastics, Brownies, Girl Scouts - most importantly, karate. I began my Goshin Do training at a very young age, and to this day, those experiences are some of the most important and formative in my life. I attained a black belt in Goshin Do at the age of eleven, a mere two weeks before my family and I moved to Arizona.

After arriving in Mesa, AZ in the summer of 1998 with my parents and two dogs, we moved into a beautiful home which used to be in the middle of nowhere. I threw myself into my studies, and in high school the Drama Club became my daily outlet. I graduated from Skyline High School in the top 5% of my class in 2004 and then spent a semester at the University of Colorado at Denver before returning to the Valley of the Sun and enrolling in Mesa Community College. While working full time at a Fortune 100 electronics retailer, I graduated from MCC in 2008 with an Associate's Degree in Art and an Associate's Degree in General Studies. At that point, I made the transfer to Arizona State University, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude in August of 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice & Criminology.

Since February of 2008, I have been working as a Market Administrative Assistant with the world's leading electronics retailer, supporting a large portion of the Southwestern region of the United States. When I am not working, I always manage to keep myself very busy between spending time with my parents and my friends who are like family. I have been having a wonderful time decorating my first house, and also travel as much as I can. I am very deeply intrigued by the paranormal, and have had the opportunity to visit and investigate some of the most haunted places in the United States. My favorite part of day is getting home from work and being greeted by my dog, Jethro, who I rescued in January 2012 at two months of age.

In March 2013, I had the opportunity to fly to San Antonio for my Oral Assessment with the Department of State for a position as an Office Management Specialist with the Foreign Service. As of right now, I have passed all clearances and was placed #1 on the register, and am reporting to Washington, D.C. on September 9, 2013 to join the Foreign Service!