Ask anyone who knows Rachelle Pierre what she’s like, and the word “joy” comes up fast. She laughs easily, tells it straight, and somehow makes a room feel bigger the second she walks in. But underneath the energy is someone who’s spent years doing the harder work: building herself back up, on purpose, out loud, and often uncomfortable. Rachelle’s story is proof of one of Summer Search’s quietest truths — the alumni who come back to lift others up are often the ones who needed lifting the most.

You can watch highlights from Rachelle’s interview at the 2025 Alumni Summit below. 

A Boston alum and co-chair of the Boston Alumni Board, Rachelle’s Summer Search story starts, fittingly, outside her comfort zone — literally, in the mountains, in the snow, in July. 

Every Summer Searcher takes an outdoor-focused experiential learning trip the summer between sophomore and junior year — hiking, backpacking, kayaking, the works. For a lot of students, it’s a first: first time sleeping outside, first time cooking over a fire, first time doing their business in the woods. For Rachelle, the “first” was more dramatic than most: a trip through the mountains of Washington State. 

“I slept on snow in the middle of July,” she laughs. “When you think of July, you think flowers. Beaches. Piña coladas. Hair blowing in the wind, top down on the car. That’s July! Instead I was in snow, snow… and then some more snow. While others had a hot summer day, I had winter hug me, and had me making snow angels and snowball fights. Who has it better?” 

New terrain, new people, new food (tofu, of all things) — Rachelle came home from that trip different. Not because the mountains changed her, but because she let them. 

Growing up, she describes herself as “the introverted, quiet girl,” a description that will surprise anyone who’s met her since. Summer Search is where she started practicing being someone else: someone who talks to strangers, tries the thing, takes up space. 

“I talk to people and they talk to me. A sort of gifting, to talk to someone to make them feel safe and comfortable. So in a way, I built up my way of being comfortable within myself, my beautiful brown skin, and the way I can critically think in new spaces. I got comfortable being out of the zone. The shifting of the zone.” 

She credits the people around her for that shift, again and again. 

“We’re all super different, and I love that about Summer Search… We all come together like puzzle pieces… and we just melt really well into this beautiful dish.” 

Ask her to be direct about it, and she will: 

“Summer Search changed my life. I mean that wholeheartedly. I would not be in front of this camera without Summer Search. I would not be here without Summer Search.” 

That’s not a line for the cameras. It’s the same thing she’ll tell you over coffee, mid-laugh, completely serious. 

As for where all that self-belief has taken her, Rachelle doesn’t reach for anything grand. She reaches for something steadier: 

“I know I’m going to change the world. Bold as it is. I will make an impact — one day at a time. Just bring 1% each day, that’s what counts. I know I’m going far.” 

She adds, almost like an afterthought that isn’t one at all: 

“I’m a student of life. I love learning.” 

Giving Back as an Alumni Leader 

For Rachelle, Summer Search didn’t end when the program did. It turned into a standing invitation to keep showing up — which is exactly what she’s done, serving as co-chair of the Boston Alumni Board for five years running. 

Her leadership looks like the version of Summer Search that shaped her: rooms where quieter voices get amplified, where new people are pulled in instead of left to find their own way in. 

“I definitely want to be the person that shifts conversations and invites people into these spaces knowing that they have a voice. They matter. They’re important.” 

Ask her what she’d say to a student on the fence about Summer Search, and there’s no hesitation: 

“You have a family that is waiting for you. This is a place for you to be yourself.” 

It’s the same thing she was told once. Now she’s the one saying it — proof, if you needed it, that getting uncomfortable enough times can eventually lead you exactly where you’re supposed to be. One percent at a time. 

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The Summer Search journey doesn’t end with a milestone—it continues to evolve through the lives and leadership of our Alumni. We’re excited to continue our new Alumni Spotlight Series to answer the question, “Who are Summer Search Alumni?”. This series will feature conversations with Alumni across our community who share their experiences with Summer Search, how they are building careers, strengthening their communities, and navigating what’s next.