ABOUT US
Hi there. My name is Laura Marenco and I am the founder of Golden Beacon USA.
As the daughter of a refugee from the former Yugoslavia, I grew up listening to my father’s stories of his family’s struggles while immigrating to the United States. These stories led me 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.
Don't hesitate to reach out!
Email: laura@goldenbeaconusa.com
My dad, Alex, and I.
The idea for Golden Beacon USA came to me the summer before my third year of graduate school at Johns Hopkins University. As part of my program in Education, I was tasked with finding a summer internship where I would create and teach a class to adult students. My interest in helping immigrants led me to research opportunities such as teaching an English as a Second Language course or a U.S. citizenship class.
A ​chance meeting with Hogar Immigrant Services, a nonprofit based in Manassas, Virginia that is part of Catholic Charities, led me not only to my internship idea but ultimately the idea for Golden Beacon USA.
During our discussion, Hogar staff mentioned that their clients often ask about everyday resources available to them in their newly adopted community. Using my educational and professional background in the training and development field, I created and taught a workshop entitled "Prince William County Community Resources" to their students that included information on healthcare clinics and transportation options.
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​In my final year of graduate school, I wrote the business plan for a site where all of this information would be accessible in one place: 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.
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At Catholic Charities Hogar Immigrant Services.
At Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area.
At Catholic Charities Hogar Immigrant Services.
I received my 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. I hold a Master of Science in Education with a focus on teaching adults in both online and in-person settings from Johns Hopkins University. In my free time, I enjoy catching up on the latest celebrity gossip, daydreaming about my next international travel destination, making art collages, and spending time with my husband and two children.