What can be said about Rachel Mintz that everyone who has ever met her doesn’t already know? She is a natural student—curious, focused, determined and hardworking. She has made her teachers’ jobs so much more difficult because it is a challenge to keep her challenged. There is nothing she doesn’t understand; she adds new insights to every conversation and depth and meaning to ideas that her peers would otherwise never have thought about. She is ambitious, but not in a way that alienates her from others. In fact, her ambition brings her closer to others; it’s contagious. When you are around Rachel, you want to work hard because she is working so hard.
For this reason, she has been a tremendous success in Roslyn High School. The students she works with leave inspired to do better. She is smart and she helps and encourages others to feel the same way. Perhaps one of the most memorable activities that Rachel has accomplished outside her remarkable research is her participation as vice president of Tennis Racquets for Kids. This nonprofit collects and refurbishes tennis racquets and donates them to individual children or organizations in need.
Additionally, Rachel’s research has been nothing short of amazing, having been recognized by the American Association of Clinical Chemistry for Outstanding High School Science Achievement and by the NYS Science Congress at Brookhaven National Laboratory for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry Research. Rachel was also named an Intel Semifinalist this year. Rachel is what Roslyn High School aspires to produce: a compassionate student leader who cares about how the decisions she makes affect her community. In the fall, Rachel will study at Columbia University.
