Rachel was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. She graduated from American University with a B.S. in Computer Science and a minor in Finance. While living in Washington DC, Rachel volunteered in the DC Reads tutoring program, giving her the opportunity to mentor and tutor children in literacy. She spent a summer in Tel Aviv working for a high tech start-up company and experienced living in a different culture. After graduation, Rachel spent a year working at Bully Pulpit Interactive, a digital advertising agency, where she managed the data warehouse system in a really exciting political environment. She took some time off recently to travel on a cross-country road trip and to visit friends in Italy. During her free time, Rachel enjoys watching documentaries, traveling, Barre classes and the beach. Rachel has a strong passion for social justice and is excited to join the Kiva team in order to learn more about microfinance and the impact it can have to foster social change.