A native of Montclair, New Jersey, Rachael first learned about Kenyon through her sister, Madeline, a member of the Class of 2004. But Rachael fell in love with Kenyon on her own and arrived on the Hill with the Class of 2011. Some of the things that drew her to the College and that she came to appreciate even more during her four years: the small class sizes, the supportive community, and the approachability of professors. (She also loved the sandwiches at the Gambier Deli!)

Community service was very important to Rachael as a student. One of the groups for which she volunteered was Hotmeals, which cooks and serves dinner for needy families in nearby Mount Vernon. She enjoyed cooking alongside local volunteers and getting to know her off-campus neighbors.

Rachael majored in international studies, liking the way this interdisciplinary field allowed her to create connections between different disciplines. She chose to focus on Latin America and sociology, and did her study abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she directly enrolled in the city's public university. The experience, a rewarding one both personally and academically, gave her the inspiration for her senior thesis, which dealt with the city's garbage pickers.

After graduation, Rachael worked in New York at an international humanitarian organization that fights hunger. She also fell in love with distance running and completed her first (but by no means her last) half-marathon. Joined by her college roommate, she used the race to raise money for Team Hole in the Wall, benefiting a camp for children who have serious illnesses - a camp created, incidentally, by one of Kenyon's most famous alumni, the late actor and philanthropist Paul Newman. Besides running, Rachael is passionate about music. Get her talking about her main men -- Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, and Van Morrison -- and she won't stop!

Rachael is excited to be back at Kenyon. She goes for runs on the Kokosing Gap Trail and has happily rediscovered the deli, ordering a No. 65 when she really misses home. If you want to find out what's so special about that particular sandwich, give her a call!

Regions:

New Jersey (Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Ocean, Southern Passaic, Salem, Sussex, and Warren Counties); Michigan; New York (Long Island); Ohio (Cleveland); Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and suburbs, North East and North Central and Southern)