Rachel Wangersheim

Rachel was born and raised in San Diego, CA and received degrees in psychology and Spanish from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has spent time living in Spain, the US Virgin Islands, and most recently Peru, where she served as a Youth Development Volunteer with the Peace Corps. While in Peru, Rachel lived with a host family in a rural Andean mountain town and worked with the local high school to design and teach a comprehensive life skills program. Along with the nurse at the local heath post, Rachel implemented a health education program where student volunteers were trained in reproductive health and leadership to become peer health promoters in their community. Though originally interested in strictly interpersonal practice, Rachel credits her Peace Corps service with her burgeoning interest in policy and leadership. She plans to continue challenging herself to learn more about people all over the world, and to use those experiences to be a culturally sensitive social worker. After graduation, Rachel hopes to work with empowering and amplifying the voices of children and youth in the child welfare system. She also dreams of working alongside her puppy Teddy, whom she plans to train as a therapy dog.