A passion for advocacy

By Megan Bradshaw on November 4, 2018

Towson University junior Rachael Daudelin was the oldest child in her family and the first to look at colleges. She readily admits she was nervous and unsure how to go about it.  

The Pennsylvania native applied to TU and was accepted into the Honors College as a freshman. Her nerves came to campus along with her computer and sheets and towels. 

But while moving in, Daudelin says the anxiety vanished. 

“I’m so lucky to have ended up here,” she said. “I love Honors. Within a few hours, I had a group of friends and felt right at home.”

She almost immediately set about finding ways to help others. As a sophomore, she became an Honors College recruitment officer and now works as the organization’s relationship-building student director, a job that is tailor-made for the self-described schedule nerd.

Aside from advising fellow Honors students on course selection, she supports Honors College events, sets up programs for the community and works with auxiliary groups like the book club and Helping Hands, a student volunteer organization.

Another way she gets her organizational fix is through her “dream job” at the Academic Advising Center. 

“Before college I could not have imagined the jobs I have now,” she said. “Working at the academic advising center is exactly what I want to do.”

Daudelin has a passion for education and originally wanted to be a teacher but switched her focus to guidance counseling after a semester. The English major is also minoring in psychology and Deaf studies, an elective that is personally meaningful and professionally useful. 

Daudelin is a peer mentor for Disability Support Services (DSS). She received a later-in-life diagnosis for a rare eating disorder after researching her symptoms and advocating for herself with her doctor. She takes as many opportunities as she can to help others learn about ARFID.

Learn about ARFID 

Daudelin will speak at TedXTowsonU on Nov. 14 at the West Village Commons Ballrooms, concentrating part of her speech on ARFID.

“I really like to be there for other students,” she stresses. “Everyone has their ‘thing.’ Some people just have more ‘things.’”