Rahel Tekola Enters Columbia Grad School After Working to End Gender-Based Violence

As a magna cum laude graduate of Texas Tech University, Rahel Tekola had many opportunities in front of her when she graduated in 2013 with a B.A. in Political Science. She chose to return to her hometown of Dallas and work at The Family Place, a nonprofit agency that comes to the aid of women, children and even men who are victims of domestic violence. It's a road that now will take her to New York City and, in time, a master's degree.

She arrived at The Family Place on the heels of three internships in Washington, D.C., all served while still a Texas Tech undergraduate. Tekola first served as a Texas Tech congressional intern and then as an intern for the Congressional Black Caucus. During her senior year, she was a White House intern in Vice President Joe Biden's office of Violence Against Women, where she worked on the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, an initiative to end human trafficking, and a policy to reduce gun violence after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

The best advice from her Washington mentors was this: If you really want to make a difference in social justice, finish your degree, then go back and work at home. Get front-line experience. At The Family Place, she has not only worked directly with the battered and abused, she has advanced to the organization's executive office, where, as chief of staff to the CEO, she advocates on behalf of families to receive full services and education on their way to a stable life free of violence.

When it came time to apply to master's programs, Tekola's academic record, Washington internships, professional experience, community service and strong recommendations from TTU faculty drew acceptance letters from Columbia, Harvard, Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, NYU, and Georgetown. She chose Columbia University for its public administration program—and for its proximity to the United Nations Headquarters, a half-hour subway ride away.

Tekola credits Texas Tech, and the encouragement she encountered here, for the road she travels today.

"It truly would not have been possible without the endless support of the university and mentors that believed in my potential and vision to help others," she said.

Among the many mentors and professors who shaped her education, Tekola named Ronald Phillips, university counsel; Cory Powell, director of the Lauro Cavazos & Ophelia Powell-Malone Mentoring Program (Mentor Tech); Michael San Francisco, dean of the Honors College; Julie Willett, associate professor in the Department of History; and Charlotte Dunham, associate professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Social Work and director of the Texas Tech Center for Women Studies.

"From scholarships to support on my multiple treks to D.C. to life-changing advice, I cannot express how fortunate I am for these lifetime friends," Tekola said. "Texas Tech opened doors for me that I would never have imagined in my undergraduate tenure."

When she finishes her master's, Tekola, who currently is a member of the United Nations Association Chapter of Dallas, may aim for a post at the U.N. Then again, she may return to Dallas. "I have become very invested in the Dallas community," she said. Tekola is a member of the 2015-2016 Mayor's Star Council to invigorate southern Dallas. She also serves on the City of Dallas Domestic Violence Task Force.

Wherever she goes, Tekola will take with her a passion for social justice, the background to work toward ending gender-based violence, and the will to innovate change on a global scale.