Economics major, Lauren Touey '15, grew up near Haverford College in Drexel Hill. She attended neighboring private high school, The Shipley School, and loved it. She felt extremely prepared for college, with writing skills being her strong suit.

A reputable college with strong academics was just as important as the opportunity to play on a softball team; a sport she has played since she was eight years old. After doing an overnight visit with the softball team at Haverford during her senior year of high school, she knew Haverford was the place she wanted to be. She plays short-stop and has been the teams' Captain since senior year.

Her economics thesis explores the gateway hypothesis in context of the changing legal statuses of medical marijuana in the United States.  She is most interested in the relationship between marijuana and hard drug use and if a greater availability of medical marijuana causes an increase in subsequent drug use. The data she uses come from the Uniform Crime Reports, which track Part I and II criminal offenses. Using hard drug and marijuana sale and possession arrests as dependent variables in regressions, Lauren finds no evidence of the gateway hypothesis with respect to hard drugs and no significant effects concerning marijuana arrests, suggesting that worries about increasing hard drug use in medical marijuana states may be overblown.

As a freshman Lauren toyed with majoring in psychology, English or history. Economics was one of the last disciplines she explored. Introduction to Economics with Professor Anne Preston catapulted her into the major, and she has continued with Professor Preston as her major advisor and thesis advisor. Lauren will also matriculate with a Minor in Spanish.

The summer following her freshman year Lauren worked on campus with Cory Walts, the athletic fitness center's Director. After sophomore year she spent two months at the London School of Economics where she took microeconomics and a marketing class. During her time there she explored London and Paris.

The summer following her junior year, through the Center for Career and Professional Advising, she secured an internship with the management consulting firm Gap International. Located in Springfield, PA, Lauren learned about the behavioral aspects of a team, and how to apply it to consulting. She was able to implement what she learned in Professor David Owens' Behavioral Economics class.

She has accepted a position with Comcast Center's Talent Acquisition division. She'll be living in Philadelphia prospecting talented employees.

Obtaining an MBA from Duke University or The Wharton School is a goal after a few year's work experience.