Rachel White
Using the critical thinking and idealism she learned at UMass Amherst, Rachel is helping change the world through cultural journalism.
You've learned about yourself in the process of getting an education. The STPEC program, it's a program that I don't think could exist anywhere else except at the University of Massachusetts. It gives you the body of knowledge across topics like race, and class, and gender. And so it not only forces you to think critically about those things, but it forces you to examine your own perspectives on them. College is such an idealistic and ideological place. And everything seems possible. Find the ways to hold onto those ideals and to carry them into the other parts of your life, and into your professional life, no matter what you end up doing. I have a lot of interest in improving the world, and thinking about innovative and creative ways to do that. While I was at World Wildlife Fund, I would go out to California. I would meet people who supported World Wildlife Fund. And they would make bigger contributions. It was a cause. And it was a mission. And it was saving life on Earth. I was just ridiculously successful. The Guardian combines powerful journalism with the resources of philanthropy to cover the subjects that just simply wouldn't get reported on otherwise. I think UMass has a world view. And I think it has an opinion. And it has a perspective. But it's grounded in a state that's full of history, and ideas, and rebellion, and success. You can get whatever education you want at the University of Massachusetts. I think it's probably one of the best values in education anywhere in the United States. I'm Rachel White. I'm director of Philanthropic Partnerships at The Guardian. I stand for big ideas and the power of independent journalism. And I stand for UMass.