Rachel Luther '18 Recruiting Profile

I have proved that I am a motivated person, and that is something I think that a college could benefit from. I am a distance runner in cross country and track. To do long races you need to be incredibly motivated and persistent in order to complete your workouts, run in the off season, and always finish by pushing your body to the limits. By finding success in running I have shown that I possess these qualities. Another example would be from the winter of 2014 when I home schooled myself and taught myself the entire course of algebra from systems to polynomials to exponential and square-root functions. I always put my schooling first before running, biking, windsurfing, or paddle boarding. I made sure I understood each concept before doing something else or moving on. Learning how to windsurf is another example of my motivation and persistence. It is a very difficult sport to learn and can be very frustrating. I have a sincere desire to learn more about Marine Biology and marine ecosystems in a college setting as well as through hands-on experiences. That isn’t all there is to learn though, we can be constantly learning things to help is in a variety of classroom, life, or work situations. I believe that the day you stop learning is the day you stop living.

    I am also very adaptable. My family has always traveled and I feel very comfortable all over the globe. I have traveled to six different countries in Europe as well as three in North America and in each place I have jumped the language and cultural barriers, made new friends, and had a lot of good times. Going to Mexico has been a lifetime full of stories and adventures with driving to many off-road places in the middle of nowhere. I think that my travels have made me grow as a person and see what other people have or don’t have, how they deal without those things, and what they endure to have a life. I have also had to be very adaptable while we moved back and forth to different schools and states. It was never easy to switch schools but it has made me able to deal with a variety of people and situations.  The fact that I have never had a grade under an A proves this to be true. School has always been my top priority and I have always worked hard to succeed.

    Communication is often overlooked as an important skill in our age of internet and social media. My mom has always encouraged me to be able to talk to people, whether it is online through email, on the phone, on paper, or face to face. I prefer writing as a form of communication because I feel that it is easiest to express myself and my feelings through a pen. Currently I am writing a novel, I use my creativity to express my beliefs and ideas through other characters, situations, and the plot. I am also learning Spanish because being bilingual is a huge advantage, especially in Marine Biology as many whale studies are conducted in Mexico. Also knowing another language helps me connect with the people and culture of that country. I am also a member of the National Leadership Council which involves a lot of communicating between your classmates, your leaders, and your mentor as well as numerous hours of volunteering which I arrange myself. I also started an environmental club at my school and regularly conduct meetings and organize events. Juggling NLC, school, and extracurricular activities can be difficult at times, but good communication, prioritization, and organization can usually make things much easier.

    As one can see, I am motivated, adaptable, and a good communicator, as well as cosmopolitan. I work hard in school and sports and I show perseverance, attention to detail, and desire to learn. I am excited to go out into the world as a college student and beyond and share my attributes with everyone. I will be overjoyed to help with studies conducted in my field and I am excited to share my knowledge with others to make a difference in the world.