Hi, my name is Lauran Despres and I am the new school counselor here at ASA. In addition to school counseling, I have also taught middle school social studies for a decade. I am happy to be a part of the ASA Community for the 2024-2025 school year.
A little bit about me:
I earned my undergraduate teaching degree at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!). After graduation, I moved to Naples, Florida, and taught middle school social studies for 5 years. After much thought, my husband, Nick, and I decided to move back to Michigan to pursue higher degrees in education and to be closer to family. During that time we lived in Ann Arbor, and I continued to teach in a neighboring city.
In 2018, we decided to move back to Grand Rapids, where we were both born and raised. Before joining ASA, I was a counselor at Saint Thomas, from the spring of 2020 to the spring of 2022, before taking maternity leave.
I have three children, Marc-9, Jackie-7, and Vivian-2. I am expecting our fourth and am due at the end of January.
I have enjoyed getting to know the students and staff here at ASA and am eager to help with the social-emotional development of the community during this school year.
I am at the Lower Campus on Tuesdays and the Upper Campus on Wednesdays. The best way to reach me is via email: ldespres@asagr.org.
