MEET RACQUEL
Racquel is an energetic and creative educator who has worked for more than a decade as an educator and STEM professional. After being accepted into several engineering programs at the world’s leading universities (including Vanderbilt, Brown, Cornell, and Carnegie Mellon), Racquel chose to attend Duke University (B.S.E) and The University of Rochester (M.S.E.). She knows first-hand what it takes to develop a competitive application and also understands the opportunities afforded by a great education.
The college admissions process is intentionally opaque. With counselors juggling their school responsibilities on top of dozens if not hundreds of students at a time, they do not have the time nor capacity to provide the personalized and intentional coaching every student needs. A City on The Hill allows Racquel to provide personalized, culturally relevant coaching to students as early as their freshman year.
As the only Black woman in her graduating class to complete the engineering program at both Duke University for her BSE and years later at The University of Rochester for her MSE, Racquel knows the power of education and the hard work it takes to achieve academic success. Majoring in Biomedical Engineering, she knows what it takes to complete an application to an elite institution and how a degree can catapult your career.
Most importantly, she has witnessed the barriers to getting into and through a degree in STEM. She has experienced isolation and frustration and navigated the silos of information.
Racquel is on a mission to change that.
After 4 years in the biomedical field, she decided to return to her first passion--teaching— and accepted a position as the Atlanta Founding Director for a non-profit college access program for three years. She has worked as an educational consultant within charter and public schools in New York City and Greater Atlanta Area. She has trained teachers and worked with students in multiple school districts nationwide and has consulted students on college access in multiple countries.
Racquel has seen that providing students and their families with information earlier resulted in an immediate change in confidence and trajectory.
They asked more informed questions.
They were accepted into great schools.
They prioritized both social AND emotional health.
They were PROUD of their accomplishments.
They were prepared for the next steps.
Her students have over 500 college acceptances and exceed $40M in aid and scholarships.
