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ABOUT US
Laura and her dad, Alex.
As the daughter of a refugee from the former Yugoslavia, Laura Dekovich Marenco grew up listening to her father’s stories of his family’s struggles while immigrating to the United States. These stories led her to a lifelong interest in the immigration process and its life-changing experience of moving from the familiar to the unfamiliar and adjusting to a completely different culture.
The idea for Golden Beacon USA came about the summer before Laura's third year of graduate school at Johns Hopkins University. As part of her Master of Science program in Education, Laura was tasked with finding a summer internship where she would create and teach a class to adult students. Laura's interest in helping immigrants led her to research opportunities such as teaching an English as a Second Language course or a U.S. citizenship class to fulfill this requirement.
A chance meeting with Hogar Immigrant Services, a nonprofit based in Manassas, Virginia that is part of Catholic Charities, led her not only to her internship idea but ultimately the idea for Golden Beacon USA.
During their discussion, Hogar staff mentioned that their clients often ask about everyday resources available to them in their newly adopted community. Using her educational and professional background in the training and development field, Laura created and taught a workshop entitled "Prince William County Community Resources" to their students that included information on healthcare clinics and transportation options.
In her final year of graduate school, Laura wrote the business plan for a one-stop shop where all of this information would be accessible for newcomers: through its content and videos, Golden Beacon USA provides the resources and knowledge that immigrants and refugees to the United States need to know in order to adapt to their new country. In 2015, Golden Beacon USA was born.
Teaching a workshop at Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area.
Teaching a workshop at
Catholic Charities Hogar Immigrant Services.
Teaching a workshop at
Catholic Charities Hogar Immigrant Services.
At an event for refugees.
Laura received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin in addition to a certificate in Social Inequality, Health, and Policy. She holds a Master of Science in Education with a focus on teaching adults in both online and in-person settings from Johns Hopkins University. In her free time, Laura enjoys catching up on the latest celebrity gossip, daydreaming about her next international travel destination, making art collages, and spending time with her husband and two children.