Laura Beauchamp is a teacher at heart, with a lifelong love for learning and enjoying new experiences. Her career has included delivering, developing, and managing education programs for several museums and provincial parks.
I was born in Calgary, Alberta but at the young age of 7 my family moved to Saudi Arabia where I spent nearly 10 years of my childhood living on a compound owned by the Saudi Aramco Oil Company. This allowed me the opportunity to travel a great deal to countries such as Turkey, Russia, Greece, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Holland, the United Kindgom and the United States of America. It’s no wonder I have a travel bug in me.
There were no high schools on the compound for foreigners so every family was forced to send their children to boarding school. My older brother and sister attended an American school in Switzerland, but when my time came I was sent to a Canadian boarding school in Lanciano, Italy. During my 2.5 years living there, I fell in love with the European lifestyle and culture. It will be an exciting time on this trip returning for the fifth time, but this time being able to show my husband.
My dad retired from Saudi Arabia in 2001 and we moved back to Calgary. Not wanting to cost my parents any more money I attended the University of Calgary where I completed a degree in Archaeology with a minor in Museum and Heritage Studies.
In 2005 I secured my first job with Alberta Provincial Parks where I was trained as a tour guide at Dinosaur Provincial Park. I facilitated and guided bus tours, hikes and delivered theatrical performaces. I worked at Dinosaur for two consecutive summers. My final summer with Alberta Parks, 2007, was spent working at Fish Creek Provincial Park as an Information Officer and Interpreter.
In my museum career I have worked short contracts at the Nickle Arts Museum at the University of Calgary, assisting with a Peruvian exhibit and at Fort Calgary where I assisted with school and group visits.
In 2007, I started working at The Military Museums as an educator and interpreter for school groups grades K-12, scouts, seniors and birthdays. In 2009 I became the Education and Interpretation Manager, which was an honour and a pleasure. Â I have a passion for education, learning new things and teaching others. In the future I intend on completing my education degree.
I loved my work, but unfortunately due to politics between my society and the Canadian Department of National Defense, my society decided to end it’s relationship with DND. It’s decision to leave meant that I, and all the employees of the society, were laid off. Although a sad decision for the museum, it was a blessing and catalyst for our travel adventures. Chris walked away from a job that ultimately was not along the same path has his career ambitions and we both completed our last day of work on December 23, 2009. Â Within 1 month we had sold or given away most of our belongings and were homeless, jobless and travelling.