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Rachel started at the University of Michigan as a pre-pharmacy program student but decided that pharmacy wasn't for her. She still wanted to major in the sciences and stumbled upon neuroscience, and that kickstarted her fascination with the brain. She worked in a cognitive psychology lab studying placebo effects, but her primary investigator let her do an end of term literature review on anything of her choosing. Rachel decided to write her paper on the use of psychedelics for emotional regulation, and this research transformed Rachel into a vocal advocate for the benefits of responsible psychedelic use. Rachel has family members with autism, chronic depression and anxiety, alcoholism, and terminal illnesses—and research has shown that psychedelic medicine has great potential for helping all of these loved ones. 

Throughout most of college, Rachel thought she would end up in a Ph.D. program. It wasn't until halfway through senior year that Rachel decided she was going to pursue law school. She took one year off to study for the LSAT and apply to law schools, then hopped on a plane to live in Costa Rica for five months. From a young age, Rachel was "the" animal girl, so she volunteered for a month at a sea turtle conservation program and for three months at a domestic animal shelter. She raised over $1,000 as a surprise for the shelter and fostered a shelter dog that was the longest shelter resident (and found her a forever home before leaving back to the States!) Rachel continues to practice Spanish and aims to be fluent by the time she graduates law school. 

A few days before moving to Madison to start law school in 2021, Rachel was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Rachel decided to defer her enrollment to focus on restoring her health. She opened up a registered nonprofit after chemotherapy ended called Carefree Capping. Rachel used cold cap therapy to reduce hair loss during chemo, but due to its cost, it is financially inaccessible for many cancer patients. Carefree Capping subsidizes cold cap therapy for Hodgkin's patients in Michigan that wish to use cold cap therapy and works to increase accessibility of cold caps in hospitals. 

Rachel also loves to cook, travel, buy plants, be outside, go to music festivals, and spoil her dog, Taki. 

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Education

• University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Law, J.D. (Expected May 2025) 

• University of Michigan, B.S., Neuroscience (2020)