Sensei Laurie Sawtelle was born in Denver & raised in the small mountain community of Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado. After graduating from Middle Park High School in Granby, Colorado, she briefly attended Mesa college in Grand Junction before transfering to Metro college in Denver. Undecided as to what to pursue as a major, she took a hiatus from school to pursue a career as an optician. She spent a few years at this occupation before returning to school to finish her degree. She graduated from the University of Colorado in December of 2002 with a BFA in photography & a minor in Multimedia. It was while attending school that she became interested in martial arts. She tried Tae Kwon Do at the local rec center for a short time, before discovering the Ninpiden Dojo. She began her martial arts studies in earnest with the Chinese art of Tai Chi Chuan. While at the dojo she began watching the Ninpo classes and became interested in participating. She began Ninpo in February of 2001 and achieved the rank of black belt in the summer of 2004.