Mrs.Yamada earned both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in English from Brigham Young University, where she taught six semester courses of “College Reading and Writing.” She was honored as a finalist for the Rowe Teaching Award. She also excelled in her undergraduate studies, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Laura has studied both history and religion at the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center and at important sites throughout Israel, Egypt, Turkey, and Greece. She has also participated in a study abroad program in Mexico, served an LDS mission in Japan, and spent a total of six years living in Asia, which allowed her to visit historical sites in China, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Laura is the mother of five sons.