Lauren Olsen

Working in the Marriott School, Lauren Olsen will meet the founder of Omniture, “the company that sold for $2 billion to Adobe,” says Lauren. “It’s cool because I interact with a lot of CEOs of companies, people I would never even speak with, and now I’m on a first-name basis.”

                The job has given her an entrepreneurial inkling. “I always see businesses and think, ‘Oh, I could make that better by doing this,” says Lauren. But law school or a master’s in public health are also in the mix. She’s still trying to decide. In her undergraduate work, Lauren studied sociology and Spanish, the latter guided by two years spent as a missionary in El Salvador.

                “I miss how simple it is down there, how people kind of just live in the moment, and their hearts are always open,” she says. “And I miss the papusas. I could eat, like, six a night.”

                Lauren loves to cook and has a knack for carrot cake—hers has a buttermilk glaze on it. The professed bargain shopper collects her dishes from the store Anthropologie. Lauren also loves exercise; she’s run a couple half marathons, is training for a full, and is on her way to becoming a Zumba instructor. She’s also a crafter and can show you how to make a cool wreath out of paper bags. “I’d say my wedding was my biggest craft,” she says. “I did a lot of it myself.”

                Lauren and her husband, Trent, were married in January 2011 in the Timpanogos temple. They met on a singles-ward trip to the Manti temple; both had arrived late and had a session’s worth of time to get to know each other, which led to a first date later that night at the Nickelcade—“A true Provo dream story right there,” says Lauren.

                She hails from Henderson, Nev. Trent is from Wyoming. But he’s no cowboy, she says: “He loves Europe and he loves nice clothes.” Trent’s goal is to become an art history professor. “He’s introduced me to a ton of art,” says Lauren. “He shows me a new piece everyday.” They’ll see plenty more on their trip to Europe in 2012.

                Together, they teach the 8-year-olds in Primary. “We have three very different and talented kids in our class; they really keep us on our toes,” says Lauren. “And little Lizzie Ensign, she’s, like, the cutest girl ever. I wish I could carry a pink scripture case like she does and wear pink glasses and pink dresses and pull it off as well as she does.”