Name: Rachel Cohen
Hometown: Swarthmore, Pennsylvania (outside Philadelphia)
Major(s): Professional writing and Statistics
Year: Junior
Campus involvement: I’m the publisher of the student newspaper, The Tartan. I’m also involved in a cappella and in Greek life — in fact, I’ll be a recruitment counselor next fall. I also work part-time for a professor on campus.
Relationship status: Single
Ideal date spot: An art museum — I really love art museums.
Favorite food: Strawberry Jell-O — it makes me laugh, and it’s delicious.
Celebrity Crush: Joseph Gordon-Levitt — I think he’s a very good actor, and overall an underrated figure. He’s a self-declared feminist, and I think he’s thoughtful about the way he leads his life. Also, Brick is an incredible movie.
Favorite movie: Rear Window. It’s an oldie by Alfred Hitchcock.
Three words that describe you: Kind, dedicated, and a little high-strung.
Qualities you look for in a guy: Self-assurance and a sense of humor I can relate to.
Biggest accomplishment so far: I’ve played the violin for almost thirteen years now, and that represents probably my longest commitment to date. Although I’ll never be concert soloist material, I’m happy with the place I’ve arrived at musically. And I’ve learned a lot about myself through my experiences with the violin: I’ve learned that I’m competitive, but that kindness is more important to me than competition. I had to become intimately aware of my own strengths and weaknesses, and to accept them rather than internalizing them— to be able to hear the beauty in my playing, not just the mistakes. If I hadn’t, I would have quit a long time ago.
Biggest life dream: I wouldn’t say this is a grand life dream, but at some point I’d like to sit down and write a historical fiction novel (just one) for young adults. Those were the stories that fascinated me when I was growing up: For me, reading historical fiction was the best and most liberating way to cast myself somewhere else and immerse myself in a world other than the one I lived in. I would want to create that experience for other kids, too.
Favorite trait about yourself: I’m generous with my time, and I value my relationships with people over anything else. I consider it worthwhile to be late to class or a meeting — and anyone who knows me understands how much I hate being late — because I’m having a pleasant conversation or catching up with an acquaintance. And I would rather have a really important conversation than finish a homework assignment.
Female role model: I’m going to give the predictable answer and say my mom — but it’s true. She’s intelligent and strong, and she always has beautiful insights. She also takes very good care of herself physically, which I think is such a rare and undervalued quality.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be: I would be a shape-shifter for sure. I can’t imagine anything more powerful than taking any form you wanted at any time. And I could be a literal fly on the wall just about anywhere!
How do you think girls can be powerful? I think girls can take ownership of themselves — their bodies, opinions, strengths, and weaknesses — in really powerful ways. And more importantly, they don’t have to be loud about it. Quiet self-confidence goes a long way, and the most powerful women I know have that subtle, composed self-assurance guiding everything that they do. I think it’s just a simple matter of saying, “Hey, I’m here, and I matter.”
Why do you think it’s important for girls to be powerful? I think girls are wired — or trained, or however you want to look at it — to feel that they should be behind the scenes. Even younger women tend to fall into roles they feel compelled to fulfill —the caregiver, the mother, the nurse. Of course, I don’t mean to belittle the importance of those roles in any way, but I think it’s important for women and girls to feel comfortable stepping out of the background and taking the limelight. It doesn’t mean they’re taking up space, or distracting attention from other people: It’s about ownership, and having a voice and a presence in the things that matter.