As a young woman passionate about the humanities, widening her worldview, and giving back to community, Rachel has spent three years as a peer educator with her local Planned Parenthood through their LIGHT program, increasing awareness about teen sexual health. In and outside the classroom, Rachel serves on the School Advisory Council, National Honor Society, and UF PALS Leadership Council – all while competing in club events with the Health Occupations Students of America and Florida State Spanish Conference. Additionally, she has won numerous national, state, and local essay, poetry, and art contests and has been published in various anthologies. During her weekends, Rachel rehearses and performs with the Annasemble Orchestra as a violinist.
She performs volunteer outreach with theUnited Way, Westside and Holy Faith Church, Haile's Angels, Huagen Chinese School, and more. She enjoys crafting poetry, sketching, learning Spanish, strength training, and playing recreational badminton and tennis. On Saturday mornings, she teaches English classes through Zoom in partnership with the Florida Literacy Coalition.
Last year, Rachel was chosen to be a part of the ReThink Service Fellowship program for teens passionate about serving their community. She conducted a sexual health education tabling event on two of the three Global Youth Service Days. For at least five hours a week, Rachel met with her mentor, attending the scheduled Zoom calls, independently designing her website/poster, and emailing contacts to consolidate the materials/authorization necessary. On the day of the event, she and the other volunteers disseminated general reproductive health information through engaging activities, games, and giveaways. The service project disseminated this important information to 150 people.
