Rachel Welch ’17 is a phenomenal person to be around. She is funny, engaging, kind and understanding. It was no surprise to me to see Rachel nominated for Campus Profile. After reading article, I think you will see why!
Tell me about where are you from:
I’m from Western New York! Think super rural with trees and corn and open fields and animals.
How does the weather at Amherst compare to the weather back home?:
Honestly, it’s pretty similar. For winter, Amherst is almost as cold but home gets WAY WAY more snow. All of the other seasons are nearly identical though.
Why did you choose to attend Amherst?:
After attending a community college for a year and a half, I was ready to transfer to a 4-year school. Amherst had the best academic reputation and financial aid out of everywhere I was accepted to transfer to, so I chose to come here!
What are you interested in both academically and leisurely?:
I study Geology at Amherst and it is seriously the coolest, funnest thing ever. I’m really interested in Psychology too (I used to be a Psych major). Besides school stuff, I’m a big fan of outdoorsy things like hiking and fishing. In my free time I tend to watch a lot of Vloggers on YouTube.
What are you passionate about the most?:
Probably learning, but not in an academic sense. I mean learning school stuff is very important to me as well, but learning about myself and those around me is what I care about the most. I’m constantly trying to evolve.
What are your plans for the rest of your time at Amherst and beyond:
My main goal for Amherst is to obviously get by Bachelors Degree and get some kind of preparation for a grown-up job. Besides that though, I’m really just looking to have as many meaningful relationships and experiences here as possible. You can learn so much (about yourself and the world) through other people, and I’m trying to learn/grow as much as possible from those around me. Amherst has such an amazing population of students and faculty, so I’m just trying to soak in as much as I can before I have to join the real world. As for after Amherst, I have no clue what I’m doing. I’ll probably live somewhere and work somewhere. Maybe I’ll have a dog, too.
If you could make one change to the world, playful or serious, what would it be?:
I don’t get road rage, but I definitely get some major sidewalk rage. I think we should make sidewalks more like highways. They should have a passing/fast lane and a chatting/slow lane. Also, outlaw texting and walking. Weaving all over the sidewalk and failing to move out of the way of oncoming pedestrians is also not alright.
What’s something you’ve always wanted to say but never got the chance to say it?:
Honestly, I just wish I had the guts to speak in class more. I can speak with people individually just fine, but once I go into a classroom I’m just like, “NOPE.”