Laura Baruch

As a professional ballet dancer and personal trainer, Laura has witnessed how art, music, and movement engender vital human emotions—joy, hope, and belonging. Her perennial commitment to these values serves as both personal and professional imperative as she continues her psychology studies, ultimately aiming to not only facilitate healing but also promote authentic flourishing.

At Columbia University, she actively broadened her knowledge of psychology; particularly energized when leading in-person cognition studies as a research assistant at the Aly Lab and supporting students grappling with mental and emotional harm as a peer listener at Nightline, Columbia’s crisis hotline.

As she begins her doctoral studies in clinical psychology, she is frequently reminded how the lessons she's learned as a dancer—the importance of dignifying connection, growth, and purpose as essential for human flourishing—still hold true. At the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University, she hopes to hone the requisite skills to become a competent, compassionate psychologist with a deep understanding of depression, anxiety, and trauma.

She is thrilled to be a Second Act Mentor and cannot wait to see how her mentees thrive in this next stage (pun intended) of their lives! Laura hopes to provide encouragement as well as thoughtful guidance on navigating higher education and pursuing a career in clinical psychology or related fields.