From England to Corbett

Lauren Collins was born in Montgomery, AL but has lived in many different places as a result of her father's job. Lauren's mom is British and met Lauren's father when he was stationed in England as a medical doctor for the Air Force. Together they had Lauren and another daughter and moved several times. The family lived in England while her father was serving in the Bosnian War. As a child, Lauren loved all forms of art and was involved in theater, acting in several plays. She also did ballet for 15 years. In England, she had a horse and rode often. When her parents divorced, Lauren went to live with her father in Annapolis, MD. She was 15 years old and eventually graduated high school in MD. After high school, Lauren attended the Univ. of Tampa, graduating with a degree in Elementary Education. She loved the sunshine Florida offered, but was ready to move to a "beautiful" state to begin work. Lauren had never been to Oregon, but had seen photos and read books on the state, so she moved here in 2007 on her own. She loved it from the beginning! She began substitute teaching then got a full-time job at a small private Christian school in St Helens. She taught a 2nd-3rd grade blend for four years. Always loving fashion and design, she decided to follow her dreams and move to Paris. She attended fashion school and then got a job doing fashion PR. She did not like the job or France. Lauren then moved to NYC and worked in fashion again. With high stress and no level of peace for the work being done, Lauren came back to Oregon and got her old job back in St. Helens as a teacher. She also earned her Master's degree from Portland State. She felt like now her work mattered once again- she was impacting children's lives, making a positive difference in the world. Lauren attended a job fair in 2014 and landed her "dream job" at Corbett Grade School, now teaching grades 2 and 3. She absolutely loves the working environment at Corbett and knows she is where she is supposed to be, with the kids she loves! Lauren just purchased a condo in Portland and enjoys travel. She will be going to Chile this summer for three weeks with National Geographic as an educational trip. She also enjoys being a part of a book club and decorating her new home!