Rachel Kumar is a vibrant young woman who has a passion for teaching. She got her BA in Psychology and MA in Educational Leadership from Montclair State University. She has been an elementary school teacher for six years and hopes to get her PhD in order to eventually teach university level courses. She hopes to work with college students in line to be future teachers in order to help them develop social emotional skills as they prepare to educate children, especially in urban settings. Rachel incorporates social emotional learning in her classroom every single day. She finds that helping children build character alongside their academics is critical to those formative years of life.
Rachel is the first generation daughter of an Asian Indian immigrant family. She was raised with conservative Indian beliefs which were different than the various people and perspectives she encountered here in the United States. More and more, she was intrigued about people who did not look or think like her. As the dual cultural and societal perspectives shaped her, she developed empathy and love for the many people she met. She was challenged to find her own voice as young girl, being that it was not something that was supported within her culture at the time. As a person who could have used a program like Girls Leadership to build her own confidence, she is extremely committed to this organization and purpose of helping young girls do it for themselves.
As a New Jersey native, Rachel spends a lot of time in NYC as she lives just outside of the area. She enjoys traveling internationally as well as domestically. She also enjoys music festivals, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. Rachel has also done some modeling campaigns which support women of color using their voice for the greater good of society.
