Alumni Update: LaBonte enters Art Therapy master’s program

This week Finlandia University’s International School of Art & Design had alumna Laurin LaBonte (’17) check in with an update on her first six months since graduation. LaBonte is nearing the end of her first semester of graduate school at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee as she looks to earn her Art Therapy, M.S.

“I am learning a lot in my first semester, and I feel like having a degree in Art Therapy before coming into this program has given me an advantage,” said LaBonte.

She checked in after learning that she’s landed an internship during the next semester at Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care. Internships are a vital part of the experience for an Art Therapy student, and LaBonte is required to do one per semester during her three years at Mount Mary.

“At Seasons, I will be doing art therapy with people who are receiving hospice care,” she said. “I know it’s going to have some sad moments, but I also feel really honored to be able to perhaps bring joy and comfort to people during the time we have left with them.”

Internships are nothing new for LaBonte, who completed an internship at Gardenview Assisted Living & Memory Care in Calumet during her final year at FinnU. LaBonte is the first student to complete Finlandia’s Art Therapy program, which was introduced just a couple of years ago. Learn more about her story by catching the Finlandia Fridays episode from last semester.