Meet Rachel Jimenez CC’18, a political science and human rights double major from Port Orange, FL. After graduation, Jimenez will be working in Peru with the Peace Corps as a Youth in Development Facilitator.

What are your favorite memories from your time at Columbia College?

Leaving Columbia College, I take with me a bounding desire to learn across all disciplines, to explore the topics in the areas they originated and question the world around me. My favorite experience was in the summer of 2017, when Columbia’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights funded my travels to Uganda to work with the Refugee Law Project, a grassroots human rights organization. I was able to work in a refugee camp in the south and learned about human rights implementation strategies and their challenges first-hand.

What surprised you most about your Columbia College experience?

I was most surprised by the people I met. I never would have expected to meet some of the most incredibly motivated, kind-hearted individuals within the first ten hours of my first-year experience. I feel lucky to have met genuine people who are actively making a difference in the world. Columbia breeds a beautifully unique and wonderfully inspiring community.

How has your experience prepared you for your postgraduate plans?

Columbia’s location in New York City encouraged me to be extremely independent. I gained a deep understanding of how to be responsible in play and in studies and how to balance both. Columbia helped to make sure I had the tools to explore New York and I feel as if these explorations, that Columbia funded, gave me a great connection to other cultures and ways of life.

What will you miss most about Columbia College?

I will miss having free access to most New York City museums. I definitely did not take advantage of that luxury enough and is the one thing I truly regret!