Lauren O’Neill ’13

Overview

Senior eLearning Instructional Designer, Association of National Advertisers
New York, NY

• BA, French and Francophone Studies and Political Science, Vassar College
• MSEd, Special Education: Learning Disabilities, Hunter College
• Certificate, eLearning Instructional Design and Development, Oregon State University

Lauren O’Neill (she/her) is a Senior eLearning Instructional Designer who specializes in creating engaging learning experiences for diverse adult audiences. She leads end-to-end course development at the Association of National Advertisers, where her day-to-day work includes collaborating with subject matter experts, designing multimedia learning assets, and turning complex ideas into practical, approachable online education. Lauren’s career has been shaped by pivots: she began in the nonprofit sector, transitioned into classroom teaching, and ultimately found her home in instructional design, a field that blends her love of education, storytelling, and learner advocacy. A proud Vassar alum, Lauren majored in political science and French, and she enjoys helping students who are still exploring the intersections of their interests.

Advice to Students:

You don’t need to have your career perfectly mapped out yet—what you do need is curiosity. When you explore a range of roles, even ones that seem unrelated, you build skills you’ll use later in ways you can’t predict. The key is learning how to talk about those experiences and the connections between them. Focus on developing skills that travel anywhere: learning quickly, asking good questions, receiving feedback, and trusting your ability to grow. Your career doesn’t need to be linear—each step teaches you something that will matter down the road.