Rachel Finkelstein

Born and raised on Long Island, Rachel studies the influence of human rights and how the testimonies of victims of human rights abuses are written and recorded. Her academic work ranges from topics of housing and labor rights to racial inequality in education to maternity rights. Some of the most influential classes Rachel has taken at NYU have been Arun Kundnani's "Media Activism and Social Movements” course, where she witnessed how activists mobilize to fight human rights violations and Jack Salzman and Dina Rosenfeld’s “Service Learning through visits with Holocaust Survivors” and Dina Rosenfeld’s “Service Learning with Immigrant Youth” courses, where Rachel met first-hand victims of human rights abuses.

Rachel has previously interned at the Nassau County Commission on Human Rights, The Long Island Herald, and the Jewish National Fund, and has served as a volunteer at The Door, Connect2, 826NYC, and the Brooklyn International High School. As an Americas Scholar, Rachel visited New Orleans to examine the intersections between environmental justice and human rights through the impact of Hurricane Katrina and climate change. Post-graduation, Rachel hopes to attend law school and study human rights law.