November Student/Alumni Spotlight – Laure Tobiasz Veltz

Resilience in Transition: Bridging Corporate Strategy and Trauma Recovery

Laure Tobiasz Veltz built a successful twelve-year career in corporate finance at a Fortune 500 airline before significant health challenges changed her trajectory. During her recovery, she deepened her practice of trauma-sensitive meditation—a field that not only supported her healing but revealed a renewed sense of purpose. Long curious about psychological science and human resilience, Laure recognized an opportunity to realign her career with what felt most meaningful.

This intentional shift led her to the ALM program at the Harvard Extension School, where she specialized in psychology and pursued the thesis track. As a student, she curated her coursework to expand her knowledge of psychopathology, contemplative practices at the edge of mental health, and neuroscience. Her research thesis focused on Internal Family Systems (IFS), an emerging psychotherapy model with growing potential for trauma recovery. What began as an academic requirement quickly became a deeply meaningful pursuit—an opportunity to contribute to a field that echoed her own healing journey. The process was rigorous and unfolded during a time of considerable personal challenge and grief, but it strengthened her commitment to understanding how people heal and reaffirmed her belief in the power of compassionate, evidence-based approaches to mental health. She completed her degree in May 2025.

While pursuing her studies, Laure co-founded the Harvard Extension School Psychology Student Club (HESPSC) to broaden access to psychological knowledge and foster collaboration among students worldwide. She envisioned a community where peers could learn from one another, share resources, and build meaningful connections.

Today, Laure serves as the Operations Manager at the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at Cambridge Health Alliance—the same center where she carried out her thesis work. In this role, she blends the strategic and organizational strengths developed in her corporate career with the research skills she gained at HES. Her work supports the center’s mission to advance understanding of psychological trauma recovery through meditative and contemplative practices.

Laure’s journey reflects resilience, reinvention, and the power of choosing a path aligned with one’s values, curiosity, and purpose.

✨Nominate Now!We are seeking nominations to recognize and celebrate the incredible work of HES students and alumni in the field of psychology. Whether you know someone making a difference or want to share your own achievements, we encourage you to submit—self-nominations are welcome! ✉️email us at hespsc@g.harvard.edu