Today’s “Streaks Alumni Spotlight” features Laura Tiehen, GHS Class of 1986.
Laura was involved in multiple sports, student government, service clubs, cheerleading, and language clubs. She was also a top student. When you see her level of involvement in high school, it is not surprising that as an adult she had such an impressive career of service.
As an athlete, Laura had height, agility, and had a great vertical jump. The picture below shows her athleticism.
This was a tough era for female basketball players at GHS, they had a young coach still trying to figure things out.
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| Note Laura’s vertical jump. |
Laura has gone onto have an inspiring career. She has spent most of her life trying to help the poor. To say she has made a difference would be an understatement.
Probably the most impressive thing about Laura is that she is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. #OnWisconsin!!!!
Massey- What were your favorite classes/teachers at GHS?
Laura- I had so many great teachers and classes at GHS. The one that stands out is Economics with Hal Devore, which sparked the interest that eventually led me to pursue a Ph.D. in Economics.
My two most challenging classes were Calculus (Mr. Kessler) and Rhetoric (Mr. Diemer), which also turned out to be essential to my study and career path. I loved Spanish class with Ms. Pennington and Outdoor Living with Mr. Bruington.
Massey- What are a few of your favorite memories from GHS?
Laura- The highlight of our basketball season was when we beat Quincy at home after we finally had everyone healthy.
-The school trip to Mexico and Costa Rica during the summer of 1985. It was my first trip out of the country, and it made me realize how much travel could enrich my life. We then hosted an international exchange student - Sam Ortiz - during my senior year, which was also very enriching.
-Working at the Dairy Queen on North Henderson. Many of my friends worked there and it was a hot spot on Saturday nights, so it was lots of fun.
Massey- What did you do right after high school?
Laura- I went to Knox College for my freshman year of college, and played basketball there. I loved Knox, but decided that I wanted to venture a bit farther from my hometown, so I transferred to Lake Forest College, a small liberal arts college just north of Chicago. I graduated from there in 1990, majoring in Economics and Spanish.
Massey- Where and what did you do for a career?
Laura- I went to graduate school in Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison right after college. After I finished my coursework, I spent two years volunteering in Guatemala with cooperatives of Mayan weavers. It was an eye-opening experience that inspired me to focus on ways to alleviate poverty in my own country.
After graduate school, I worked at the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 26 years doing research on poverty and U.S. food assistance programs. I spent one year as a senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers, which was thrilling (and exhausting). I feel fortunate to have had a career that allowed me to contribute to the policymaking process to ensure that safety net programs like SNAP (i.e., the Food Stamp Program) serve the people who need them in the most efficient way possible.
Massey- What are you up to these days?
Laura- I have lived in Washington, DC since graduate school and I really love the city and its great museums, theater, and music. My husband and I live in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, which is very diverse and has tons of restaurants. We live close to Rock Creek Park, where we can take our dog Maddy for walks. We chose not to have children, and I think it was the right decision for us. I do feel lucky to have lots of wonderful nieces and nephews.
I left USDA in May of this year, though I’m not ready to be fully retired. I’ve been saying that I’m on a “gap year”, to give myself time to figure out what I want to do next.
Massey- What advice would you have for today’s Silver Streak athletes?
Laura- I’m passing along advice from two influential people in my life:
Paraphrasing from Larry Diemer’s 1986 graduation speech: You are now becoming the “they”. So when you find yourself saying, “they should really do something about that problem”, think of it as a call to action to yourself, not just something that someone else should address. (I will just add that I find that it is more satisfying to focus on a few problems rather than feel like I have to tackle them all and it is more fun to tackle problems as part of a team.)
From a letter that Coach Massey wrote to us after we started our 1985-86 basketball season with (I think) a 1-8 record: “While hard work obviously does not guarantee success, a lack of hard work guarantees failure”.
And “it is the easiest thing in the world for us when we get frustrated to start pointing fingers at each other, … (but) we must stick together”. That advice applies well beyond the basketball court.
Massey- Thanks so much for taking the time to share your memories and your life journey. You have had an impressive and inspiring career!!
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