Rachel Kohler, a junior at Temple University, is not your typical mechanical engineer. For the past six years Rachel has competed in multiple pageants to help boost her self-esteem and strengthen her communication skills for the professional world. Through these pageants she got involved in the modeling industry and started pursing different opportunities in different aspects of the profession.
Rachel first started competing in pageants after she watched her sister take part in them for years. Pageants have been a huge part of her life for the past years that she has competed and she has gained valuable life advice from participating in these for the past years.
These past years spent competing in pageants sure has not been relaxing for Rachel. Preparing for a pageant takes weeks, and she is always preparing for the next pageant that is coming up. Whether this means walking up and down the hall in heels, or having her mother ask interview questions Rachel is constantly in pageant preparation mode, which takes a whole lot of commitment.
Through taking headshots, getting glammed up and walking up and down the runways Rachel also gained an interest in modeling.
“Both [modeling and pageants] can really boost a girl’s self confidence,” Rachel explained, “Pageants also help with job interviews. I’ve learned so much more about communication skills through pageants than I have in school.”
Pageants have been something in Rachel’s life that have been a medium to not only express herself but also learn valuable lessons that she will carry with her way past her pageant and modeling careers. Self-image is something that is not only tested, but also critiqued within the pageant industry. However, Rachel is taking the judgment and critique and spinning it in a positive light.
“Through pageants, I’ve realized that you are the only person that can define your image,” Rachel said, “To me, confidence is everything and a confident woman in pageants will outshine anyone.”
While she realizes the negative stereotypes that some people may have against the pageant industry, and those who compete in them, Rachel is not letting that stop her. When she tells people that she competes in pageants the reaction that people have sometimes become negative, just because of society’s view of the competitions themselves. She is taking those negative opinions and using them as fuel for the career she is pursing.
At Temple, Rachel is currently in her third year as a Mechanical Engineering major. While the stereotype of models and pageant girls may be negative towards their intelligence, she is showing that is not true. As a lover of math and science, she is pursing a degree and a career within the engineering field (a predominately male field, we may add) and will not stop until she gets there.
Temple University is the perfect fit for Rachel, who has lived in the suburbs her whole life. Rachel enjoys being in the heart of the city and being immersed in the culture while she completes her education.
Rachel Kohler is a prime example on how you can break the glass ceiling and defy stereotypes that society sets for you.
“There will be so many people that put both industries down,” she shared. “But they have impacted my life in such a positive way. If it’s a dream of yours, go for it.”