Hi, I’m Rachel!

I spent the first 20 years of my career working in the corporate world as an engineer and a leader. I love all things math, science, engineering and human growth and development.

My introduction to working with kids was in 2018 when I started a Girl Scout troop for my oldest daughter, Josie. The first year was tough, with a group of 12 kindergarteners and 2 engineers running the troop. But we found our feet and I realized that empowering girls is something that I'm passionate about. And seeing the growth of the kids as they have gotten older has been such a rewarding experience.

When I was laid off at the beginning of the pandemic I decided to make a 180° turn and focus on impacting kids. I spent a year working for our local Girl Scout Council, learning about marketing, recruiting, managing a classroom and teaching kids STEM lessons. The work was incredibly satisfying. But it lacked life balance as I live life with my husband, Corey, and my 2 girls, Josie and Lucy. I ached for the autonomous environment I had as an engineer and leader in the corporate world. And wanted to be able to tie all of my best skills together to fulfil my purpose.

After a suggestion from a franchise broker I ran across on Facebook, I started looking at different options for purchasing a franchise. After talking to a half dozen or so I hadn't really found what I was looking for. Then I started Googling. As I did that I ran across Challenge Island and remembered that Josie had taken a virtual badge workshop during the pandemic... and she LOVED it. So I had the broker contact Challenge Island, and the rest is history!

I love the programming the we offer though Challenge Island, and especially how it ties all of life together in a single program. No where else have I seen learning happen in a way that not only develops academic skills (math, science, engineering, art) but also ties that across curriculums and into life skills. The best people I hired were able to work collaboratively, speak confidently and problem solve outside of their expertise. And Challenge Island gives kids the chance to experience it, and build their skills. I'm so excited to bring this to West Michigan!