Lauren Chuhta

Lauren Chuhta is a rising senior at Cornell University, where she studies both Global Development and Communication in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Having grown up in a small, tight-knit community in upstate New York, Lauren dedicates herself to studying qualities of productive empathy and how these attributes may be fostered at the institutional level. Lauren explores how communication styles influence the quality of international aid; specifically, how the language used to describe aid-receiving communities affects donor-receiver relationships. In her studies, Lauren compounds intense academic coursework with practical experiences in impact evaluation, science communication, and community-driven research. Lauren is an Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholar, a recognition awarded by the Obama Foundation for her commitment to public service.

Lauren arrived in Sarajevo eager to explore pedagogy as a form of empathy-fostering communication. She has since concluded her internship, packing up for New York with expanded insight into empathy bases, awareness of new-to-her intervention and funding models, and a love for Bosnian burek. Her time in the Balkans yielded a profound expansion of her worldview, and she is deeply grateful for the kind hospitality of Larisa Kasumagić-Kafedžić, the Peace Education Hub, and the broader community of Sarajevo.