Laurel K.

I am creative, free-spirited and idealistic, a proud non-conformist, and consider myself the luckiest woman in the world. It's absolutely amazing to be able to come and go whenever I want without having to answer to anyone and having the free time to pursue a wide variety of different interests. While those of my friends who are married send their children to classes, lessons, and extra-curricular activities, I get to do all those myself! I love performing, have experience in theater and film, and periodically take acting classes in NYC. I ran for my local town council in 2002 and 2005 and came very close to winning. Both campaigns were wonderful experiences, and I can't wait to run again, knowing it's only a matter of time before I win. I write for a weekly newspaper in NJ. I have taken several Leadership Training courses over the years including the Rutgers Cooperative Extenstion Environmental Stewardship class, Leadership Somerset in Somerset, NJ, the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) Inaugural Environmental Leadership Training, the Governing Institute of NJ, and the Women's Campaign School at Yale. During the fall of 2007, I completed an astronomy class with the Amateur Astronomers, Inc. in Cranford, NJ and am now proud to officially be an AAI Qualified Observer! AAI is an amazing group, not just an astronomy club, but a real family. Al Witzgall is absolutely the best astronomy instructor! And he supports Pluto's reinstatement as a planet, a cause dear to my heart, one which I've written about extensively for almost three years! I'm proud to have become known on the Internet as a Pluto supporter and am especially excited to have taken part in The Great Planet Debate in Laurel, Maryland, in addition to co-authoring both a written and oral presentation on Pluto for AAI. In 2008, I completed Swinburne Astronomy Online's short course, "From Planets to the Universe," and now I am a student in their Graduate Certificate in Astronomy program. It's a wonderful life!

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