Photo Credit: Deb Grove

Name: Rachel Rubins

Major: American studies

Minor: Women's, gender and sexuality studies

What city and state or country do you call home? Lansdale, Pa.

Activities at F&M: Mock Trial, Kappa Delta sorority, Student Conduct Committee, F&M Works intern at North Museum, Lancaster Vice researcher, member of Hillel

Why did you choose to attend F&M?

After my tour of F&M, two students were sitting outside the Admission Office and started a conversation with me and my mom. We ended up talking for hours about all the ins and outs of college. I remember feeling so valued and accepted into the F&M community before even applying. As I continued to learn more about the school, I realized that F&M felt like a place where I could be challenged in the academic setting while having a solid support system to help me through.

What is something that you did for fun at F&M?

After Mock Trial practices, which themselves were typically for hours on end, we would all spend time together getting food and watching TV shows and movies. Even during my first year on Zoom, our team would stay on a Zoom call for hours after practice, just talking and getting to know each other.

What did you enjoy most about your time at the College?

I enjoyed connecting with people I know will be there for me for the rest of my life. Through the ups and downs of my life during these past four years, I found a support system of friends I see as family. I have even found smaller families within the F&M community, like my Mock Trial family, my Kappa Delta family, and my Jewish family, all on this campus. I have even made lasting connections with professors and other staff members whom I can count on for support.

What are your plans for after graduation?

I will get my postgraduate degree in public history at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom. Public history looks for ways to use history and historical skills outside of academia to make history accessible. Working at the North Museum and researching for Lancaster Vice made me realize my passion for history that moves beyond the classroom and how beneficial it can be to the wider community.

What brief advice would you give to incoming students in F&M’s Class of 2028?

Be compassionate to yourself. The next four years are a time of learning and allowing yourself to make mistakes without having your life figured all out immediately. Sometimes, you have to take it one day at a time.

“I found a support system of friends I see as family.”

— Rachel Rubins '24