Rachel Aker
Career Coach, College of Music & Dramatic Arts
My path to this point has been paved with opportunities in the performing arts and education that have taught me much about myself and my values. I love to create and implement, to serve and encourage. I have found so much acceptance in the community here at LSU, and I strive to be someone who does the same for others in their time at LSU.
Through experiences in class, on campus, on stage or set, in design rooms, rehearsal rooms, or backstage, students at LSU have access to the tools to succeed in any number of careers. What a joy to be present for their exploration and redirections, to be able to offer support and guidance, and to celebrate their successes! To bear witness to the discoveries and growth they make from student to graduate in fulfilling careers is so rewarding.
What a joy to be present for their exploration and redirections, to be able to offer support and guidance, and to celebrate their successes!
-Rachel
My favorite spot
My favorite place on campus is the Greek Theatre and Enchanted Forest. Just between the two larger spaces is a set of stairs that go nowhere but up a hill that someone, or several someones, began placing fairy garden habitats and little gnome and animal figurines along the steps a few years ago. A whole community is there. Occasionally I see children playing with them, and it brings me so much joy that for almost five years now, the fairy garden has remained for others to find and delight in.
On repeat
Film: Twister. It’s a perfect blend of action, humor, science, and really great actors in a story that never gets old.
Podcast: Brett Goldstein’s Films to be Buried With. It’s so fun to listen to his guests chat about the films that scare them, make them cry, and ultimately become their favorite (and least favorite).
TV show: I’m a self-proclaimed comfort show connoisseur. Some of my favorites include Great British Bake Off, What We Do in the Shadows, Heartstopper, Schitt’s Creek, and White Collar.
My favorite word
Have you ever heard a word and knew that it was the perfect way to describe something you love? For me it was “gloaming”—a fancy word for twilight, but also specifically, the low light as the evening sun sets just below the horizon. It catches the way golden hour settles into darkness—all ambers and blues, pinks and purples—casting shadows and silhouettes that only exist for a fleeting few moments each day. My ideal gloaming is an autumn evening by the LSU lakes when the trees are set in relief against a purpley-blue and golden sky.
Education
Ph.D, Louisiana State University
MA, University of Houston
BA, Austin College
Contact Rachel
raker1@lsu.edu
225-578-2894
158G LSU Student Union
120 Music & Dramatic Arts Building