Not every sixteen-year-old American girl sets out to volunteer in India. Fewer still count down the days until she can return. The Indian people stuck with Laurel, especially the many vulnerable women with whom she encountered. Uncertain how she could help them, Laurel continued with her life, volunteering stateside and developing her love of art. It was not until Laurel was teaching a jewelry class at a women's homeless shelter back in the United States that she fully understood the therapeutic and self-esteem-related benefits of labor. The homeless women with whom Laurel was working "felt proud, making a gift for someone or creating something that they could sell. When creating jewelry, you use your hands and concentrate on your work. You are forced to focus and think beyond your sorrows," she explained. Laurel then realized that she could combine her love of creating jewelry with her desire to support vulnerable women in India.

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