Laura Vaughn
Laura Vaughn, coordinator of admissions for the UM Intensive English Program, has been selected as Staff Council’s Staff Member of the Month for August. To help us get to know her better, she answered a few questions for Inside Ole Miss.
IOM: How long have you worked at Ole Miss?
Vaughn: Five years.
IOM: What is your hometown?
Vaughn: Starkville, Mississippi.
IOM: Talk about your favorite Ole Miss memory.
Vaughn: I will never forget one group of new students a few years ago. It was only their second day on campus, but one of them loved football and did a lot of research about Ole Miss traditions ahead of time. We were heading to an event and he starts teaching the rest of the students the “Hotty Toddy” chant. By the time we got to where we were going, the entire group was chanting “Hotty Toddy” at the top of their lungs and it was pretty amazing to hear.
IOM: What do you enjoy most about your position or the department in which you work?
Vaughn: I love getting to meet new students from all over the world every semester. I especially enjoy watching students enter into our program with very little English and then seeing their skills develop over time to complete fluency.
IOM: What do you like to do when you are not at work?
Vaughn: I enjoy traveling to new places, whether it’s within the United States or abroad.
IOM: What is one thing on your bucket list?
Vaughn: I want to learn how to fly a plane.
IOM: What is your favorite movie?
Vaughn: I like “The Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy.
IOM: What is your favorite Ole Miss tradition?
Vaughn: I enjoy how you can be anywhere in the world, but when you see someone wearing Ole Miss gear, you can greet them with “Hotty Toddy” and have an instant camaraderie.
IOM: What is a fun fact about you?
Vaughn: My arms are double-jointed.
IOM: If you could have lunch with anyone alive or dead, fictional or real, who would it be and why?
Vaughn: I’d like to have lunch with Harriet Tubman to see the person behind the legend and get her thoughts on today’s world.
IOM: What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
Vaughn: Determined, driven and imaginative
IOM: If you could visit one time or place in world history – past, present or future – what would it be?
Vaughn: I wouldn’t visit a time or place in history since I’m honestly fairly happy where I am now. Plus, the past wouldn’t have modern conveniences and I’d be a little too scared to see what the future holds.
IOM: If I could be an animal for a day, I would be _____ .
Vaughn: A cat.