About Rachel
Rachel is an award-winning educator, sought-after speaker and panelist, and storyteller with over a decade of experience working in public and international schools. Rachel currently writes about science and engineering for Harvard University and is the Executive Director of The Birch Festival, an arts nonprofit.
Rachel has been awarded spots in writers workshops for both memoir and fiction, including the Key West Literary Seminar and the Aspen Institute's Aspen Summer Words, and multiple residencies with Write On, Door County. She has been asked to present and speak on a number of panels and workshops, including the Yale Council for African Studies, Primary Source's Panels for Teachers, and the Wayland/Weston Interfaith Council on Teaching Religion in Schools.
Rachel's MEd. is from Boston College, where she graduated with a focus on social justice and teaching English language learners. Her undergraduate degree in Anthropology is from Boston University and she currently studies Religion at Harvard University.
Rachel's Work
Primary Source, Watertown, MA
Cursor Literary, Minneapolis, MN
Primary Source, Watertown, MA
Facilitate online courses for teacher advancement, including Dynamic Societies of Subsaharan Africa and Windows to the Islamic World.
Consult and create educational content for 6th grade social studies teachers in the state of Massachusetts, including units on Human Origins, Africa, and the Ancient Americas.
Scholastic, New York, NY
Cursor Literary, Minneapolis, MN
Primary Source, Watertown, MA
Innovated and produced teacher support materials for Scholastic's English Language Arts classroom magazine, Scope and for their grade 2 magazine, Storyworks.
Cursor Literary, Minneapolis, MN
Cursor Literary, Minneapolis, MN
Flint Institute of Music, Flint, MI
Publicist and marketing associate. Worked with Scribe, Icon, Greystone, Scribble Kids, Unbound, and Coach House publishing companies to promote and distribute in the United States.
Flint Institute of Music, Flint, MI
African Studies Center, Boston University, Boston, MA
Flint Institute of Music, Flint, MI
Researched the history of The Capitol Theatre, a mainstay in Flint's downtown, using archives and interviews.
Created copy to promote tourists and visitors to the Theatre, as well as copy for the visuals and displays throughout the Theatre and on FIM's website.
African Studies Center, Boston University, Boston, MA
African Studies Center, Boston University, Boston, MA
African Studies Center, Boston University, Boston, MA
Researched and wrote informational text for The Gold Road project, in conjunction with Howard University.
Music from the Suitcase, Lenox, MA
African Studies Center, Boston University, Boston, MA
African Studies Center, Boston University, Boston, MA
Wrote, edited, and produced Yevgeny Kutik's docu-recital series Music from the Suitcase, a 5-episode concert series based on his experiences as a Jewish immigrant from Belarus.
The Birch Festival
The Birch Festival
The Birch Festival
A 501(c)(3) organization, The Birch Festival aims to connect and integrate leading musicians with the Berkshire community, while highlighting the unique and original stories of those who make up the Berkshires. The Birch Festival seeks to build new audiences through accessibility and availability, while offering innovative, distinctive, and collaborative programming.