College Alumna, Healthcare Professional and Environmentalist Practices Massage Therapy and Acupuncture
Meet Laura Reyda.
A true environmentalist and selfless practitioner, Laura Reyda (M.S. ’11) has taken her healthcare journey beyond Oriental medicine and the human body and into the heart of one of the world's wildest places: the Peruvian rain forest. You may wonder how her path led her into such a unique environment.
Reyda grew up near Chicago and studied speech and language pathology at Augustana College in Illinois. After college, she and her husband traveled extensively in Peru, where she volunteered her time working with special-education, speech, and language pathologists in the areas of Cusco and Urubamba. After two years, she purchased 100 acres of the Peruvian Amazon for conservation purposes. In 2000 she went back to school for massage therapy, and in 2008 began her education at the Finger Lakes School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (FLSAOM) at the College, then New York Chiropractic College. Following graduation in 2011, she went into practice as a licensed massage therapist and a licensed acupuncturist in Oneonta, New York.
Prior to graduation, Reyda had co-founded Project Buena Vista, a nonprofit organization that promotes the conservation of the Peruvian Amazon. The project is still going strong, and she spends a lot of time recruiting volunteers and leading them on semi-annual medical outreach programs that benefit the underserved communities there.
When asked about NYCC, Reyda says her experience at FLSAOM was invaluable: A strong moral/professional compass was modeled by the faculty which, I believe, has truly helped my practice thrive." She finds practice extremely rewarding, especially when a patient comes in a skeptic, yet leaves the office with little pain. She is proud of the community acupuncture programs in Oneonta and Project Buena Vista. "I think that making this medicine available to everyone is one of my biggest missions."
Reyda provides a good role model for current students at NYCC and FLSAOM. Her compassionate care and strong morals are an inspiration to make a positive change in the world -- and she is always looking for volunteers! Learn more at www.projectbuenavista.org, or email her at projectbuenavista@gmail.com.
