Call me Rach

Hey friends! My name is Rachel Leach. On January 11, 1997 I was born in a northern suburb of Chicago, IL called Lake Forest. For the next 13 years I lived about 20 minutes away from Lake Forest in a suburb called Grayslake. Here I spent my time playing with the neighborhood kids, riding bikes down "Monster Hill", going to school, hiking through the forest preserves, snowboarding with my sister and dad, participating on one of the local gymnastics teams and much more. I lived a very happy life and was blessed with many adventures. One of these "adventures" occurred right around the time I turned 13. My parents decided that we should make a move to Lexington, KY to be closer to our extended family. So, my mom, dad and little sister all packed up our things and made the (multiple) 7-hour trip(s) to our new home. 

The first year or so of living in Kentucky was a little bit stressful for me. I was forced to leave my friends, school, gymnastics team, and home behind to form a new life 7 hours away. But I eventually adapted to the idea of living in a new place. My 8th grade year I had decided to try out for the school's dance team and made it. I felt a sense of belonging after that; like I really could fit in here. I danced all throughout high school and still managed to find time for my other hobby, snowboarding. I have been boarding since the age of 7 and have loved it ever since. My dad and I have made multiple trips to Perfect North as well as to several resorts out west. Another hobby of mine is traveling. I have been all over the country from California to Florida and have loved every place that I have had the privilege of seeing. 

I decided to attend UK because it offers so many different organizations to become a part of. I am a member of the Delta Zeta sorority, I will be participating in Snow-Cats- the board/ski club and I also wish to join 4Paws- the service dog organization. I know that I will find a sense of community on this campus like I did when I moved to Kentucky 6 years ago. One of the main communities that I want to be a part of is the "traveling community". Through the organizations I am in, I hope that I will be able to find people who love to see new places as much as I do. Hopefully by the end of this year I will be able to say that I have been out of the country- dreaming big I know!

During this semester at UK and especially my time in WRD, I want to broaden my knowledge of other communities on campus and really get to know more people and what types of communities they fit into as well. I hope that WRD will make me more confident in giving speeches and portraying my thoughts in more than just writing. I aim to learn the necessary skills of how to be a successful writer and speaker to prepare myself for the rest of my college career. I am so excited to begin my life here at the University of Kentucky and get involved in so many different communities!