If you’re looking for a girl boss, Lauren Disbennet slays. She’s a proud sister of ADPi, dedicated member of Delta Sigma Pi, a part of the Victoria’s Secret campus Pink team, and works an after-school cheerleading program. Killin’ the game? You bet. But what really makes us jealous of Lauren’s drive and motivation is that on top of all her extracurricular duties, she’s a double major in International Business and Biology. Does she have super powers? Probably. So with the requirement of studying abroad for her major, Lauren chose to go to a place that would pave a path to her ultimate goal: helping people in countries who lack healthcare.
Her Campus: Where did you choose to spend a semester and why?
Lauren Disbennet: I’m going to Cape Town, South Africa! My choices were limited of where I could go because I needed classes to fulfill both of my major requirements. When the study abroad office got back to me, they said the common European countries had filled up, leaving me with a choice between various Asian countries. I wasn’t too interested in the programs available, so I decided to do more research and found a loophole, allowing me to go to Cape Town instead!
HC: What classes do you plan on taking?
LD: One of the reasons why Cape Town was a great option for me was because I could take both biology and business classes that will transfer back to USC.
HC: What are you going to do there?
LD: The Cape Town study abroad class I’ll be taking has a big service part to it. I’ll get to go to villages outside of the city and help them with desensitizing water, building houses, and setting up schools. Throughout the trip we have to complete 120 hours of community service. It makes all the hard work from classes more meaningful as I’m reminded what I’m working for.
HC: What will you do in your down time?
LD: I’m planning on going cage diving with sharks, sky diving too!
HC: Will you travel anywhere else on your time away from the U.S.?
LD: Some of my friends are studying abroad as well and we’ve talked about meeting up in India or Saudi Arabia… hopefully even the UAE.
HC: What are you most stoked about?
LD: I’m excited to complete all the service aspects of the trip and I’m even more excited to meet the people in the villages because they are some of the lives I want to change for the better!
Good luck in South Africa Lauren, we can’t wait to hear all about it… and see your fire Instagram!