Laura Drake

As the Director of Continued Enrollment, Laura oversees Mississippi State University's student retention programs Bulldog Rebound and Bulldog Bounce Back, both housed in the Center for Academic Excellence. She is the coordinator for Bulldog Rebound. Outside of the CAE, Laura serves as the Faculty Advisor for Hillel, the Jewish Student Association at Mississippi State University.

She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Early American History and writing her dissertation "British Jews: The Claimed Dual Identity of an Eighteenth Century Family in the Anglo-Protestant World." Her project is a micro-history focused on Jewish negotiation of space and inclusion, specifically examining the Ashkenazim Jewish family of Jacob and Abigaill Franks in Anglo-Protestant England and her North American colonies. Laura's dissertation is under the direction of Dr. Judith Ridner. Her research focuses on the family's claim to a "British-while-Jewish" identity and the ways they negotiated their religious and family life with their socio-political and economic roles in the transatlantic world.

PhD in Early American History, Expected May 2026.

Master of Arts in English, focus on historical literature (pre-nineteenth century). May 2009.

Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with concentrations in Biological and Cultural Anthropology. December 2007.

Office Location: 1430 YMCA