Rachael studies identity in early American borderlands regions, including the way mixed race Euro-indigenous people around the Great Lakes navigated the expansion of the American state. She holds a B.A. in history from the University of Wisconsin--Madison (2010). From 2011 to 2019, she taught middle school history and English in high-needs schools in Oklahoma and Michigan, and she remains passionate about engaging teaching practices and equity in education. In 2019 she was awarded the Opperman Fellowship in History from Eastern Michigan University, where she graduated with her M.A. in 2021. Her research focused on the diary of Mary Hobart Williams, a woman of French and Menominee descent born in Green Bay, who experienced the formation of the state of Wisconsin throughout the 19th century. Beyond history, Rachael enjoys hiking, gardening, and spending time with her partner Dan and their two cats.