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Rachelle Echevarria

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Finalist

General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • Writing
  • Photography and Photo Editing
  • Embroidery And Cross Stitching
  • Korean
  • Spanish
  • Reading
  • Painting and Studio Art
  • Bible Study
  • Church
  • Art
  • Beekeeping
  • Board Games And Puzzles
  • Chess
  • Comics
  • Fashion
  • Costume Design

Reading

  • Novels
  • Biography
  • Classics
  • Cultural
  • Fantasy
  • Historical
  • History
  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • Literary Fiction
  • True Story

I read books daily.

Bio

I very much appreciate the little things in life. This sounds cliche, and it kind of is, but progressively losing my vision in my early adulthood put things into perspective. I appreciate the little things just a little more: good food shared amongst friends, literature and all it's on-stage and on-screen adaptations, and art described to me by someone who can see it in its entirety. The beauty of the little things in life is that they aren't so little. They are the reasons humanity continues to care. They are love and hatred and pain expressed for the world to relate to, and I think that's important to share and remember. That's why I love libraries. Libraries preserve the memories of everyone's little things: recipes, songs, paintings, scripts, films, and books. The list could go on. I hope, in my future, I can aid libraries as pillars of community, education, and culture. Whether it be through something as (not) simple as archiving or something as grand as working towards becoming a future Librarian of Congress, I feel my future belongs in them. And if I happen to write a book or two, well, that's always been a dream, too.

Education

Simmons University

Master's degree program

2024 – 2027

Majors:
  • Library Science, Other

University of Central Florida

Bachelor's degree program

2021 – 2023

Majors:
  • English Language and Literature, General
Minors:
  • Journalism

Valencia College

Associate's degree program

2019 – 2021

Majors:
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
Simmons University
Majors of interest:
Library Science, Other, English Language and Literature, General, Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General, English Language and Literature/Letters, Other, Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other, Community Organization and Advocacy, Museology/Museum Studies, Historic Preservation and Conservation, Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies
Desired degree modality:
Online, In-Person, Hybrid
Medical school interest:
No

Career

  • Editorial Intern

    Online Media · The Take

    Jan 2021 – Jan 2021

  • Internships and Fellowships (IFP) Intern

    Libraries · Library of Congress

    Jan 2023 – Jan 2023

  • Student Leader

    Higher Education · Valencia College

    Jan 2020 – Jan 2021

  • Federal Research Division (FRD) Research Assistant

    Libraries · Library of Congress

    Jan 2023 – Present

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Libraries
Dream career goals:
Rare Books and Special Collections Librarian and Library Advocate
Work experience:
6 years
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
  • Entrepreneurship
TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) MOA Scholarship
1. I'm a recent TXT fan. I discovered them about a year ago in July 2025. I was doomscrolling and came across a YouTube short about Yeonjun and P1Harmony's Keeho wearing a shirt that said, "I did what last night?" This led me down a rabbit hole of trying to figure out what it meant, which naturally peaked my interest enough to listen to TXT's discography and, well, the rest is history. 2. I believe the most important characteristic of a MOA is authenticity. From what I can tell, TXT has remained true to themselves. Their concepts are always story-driven, their music videos are a little longer than most (I'm looking at you "Magic Island"), and their personalities are distinct but steady. I've never once questioned who I was listening to or what I was watching when it came to their music and content, and MOAs should reflect that. 3. I only recently started (softly) biasing Yeonjun. I'm not going to lie, the Parenting Diaries have been a joy to watch, especially how Yu Jun and Yeonjun interact. I'm ultimately an OT5, though. I think every member has put in the effort to be amazing dancers and singers, and they each have distinctive personalities that I find appealing. 4. Perhaps shockingly, my ult bias of any group is Lee Know from Stray Kids. He's a cat dad (I have five cats of my own that I rescued, and I admire his open affection for his cats), he's a little weird in a way I relate to and find endearing, but he's also capable of conveying real vulnerability that I admire. 5. Maybe you guessed it from earlier, but my favorite TXT song is "Magic Island." I'm a huge fan of the Star Seekers storyline, and fantasy in general appeals to me. In many ways, the song reminds me of books I love like "The Little Prince" that explores the inner conflicts of facing reality and holding on to dreams the same way "Magic Island" does. The song just resonates with me in a way that literature does, and that's high praise coming from me. 6. I've never had a real chance to see TXT live, though I would like the opportunity if I could ever afford it. 7. My favorite album concept is (perhaps unsurprisingly) the "Dream Chapter: Magic". The exploration of growth and identity with fantasy themes really struck a chord in me as it's something I lean towards in literature, and the lyricism and instrumentals were, well...dream-like to me. It made me feel nostalgic in the best ways. 8. I pay for school out of my own pocket. It's usually through payment plans, and I have a tiny scholarship, but things have gotten more difficult. I have a disability, and it stems from a chronic degenerative disease that is incurable. I'm desperate to not take a loan as I fear that will bury me in debt I'll never be able to pay back. 9. My primary concern with my finances is that I have to cut corners somewhere in my future. If I prioritize school, I sacrifice necessary appointments I need in order to tend to my condition. If I go to all my appointments and prioritize my physical health, I sacrifice my mental health and schooling. I just can't afford both. A scholarship like this would ease the burden just enough to let me finish my grad program and go to my appointments. 10. TXT has provided me equal amounts of comfort and strength. Their music acts as an emotional conduit for me by capturing emotions I find difficult to put into words. If I ever got the chance to meet them, I'm unsure of how to convey my gratitude for the gift they give their listeners in their willingness to perform for us, even when they struggle. 11. I'm a student of Library and Information Science, and I intend on being a librarian. In a world that consistently seeks to silence people's voices, I hope to promote, advocate for, and support everyone's rights to information and to have their stories told, as well as preserve the relics of voices no longer heard.
Jules Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Resilience Scholarship
My earliest memory is a visual one. I see an image of my name written on a piece of paper in the dining area of the apartment my family and I lived in at the time. It was a small apartment, with only three bedrooms for six people. We had a small table where we ate our meals, and it was there that I sat when I first wrote my name. It’s a memory I think of often now that I know I’m going blind. Ironically, blindness is often associated with ignorance, typically of the willful nature like Oedipus from Oedipus Rex. Being diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa–a chronic, degenerative eye disease–in 2019 made me irrationally afraid that I would become ignorant to the world around me. I didn’t want to be an Oedipus, suddenly giving up most of my independence and a career I wanted in medicine was mentally debilitating. I felt infantilized and incapable compared to the able-bodied person I once was. By 2020, I was declared legally blind, told I couldn't drive, and I felt helpless. I had no money, I had no significant work experience, and now I didn’t even have the entirety of my five senses. It was hard to go from believing I was completely able-bodied to suddenly being cut off from a life I once knew. I read a quote sometime after my diagnosis. It was from Ray Bradbury, and it stated, “I don’t believe in colleges or universities…I believe in Libraries.” Bradbury’s statement struck a chord in me. As someone who grew up in a low-income household with a parent that didn’t even graduate highschool, a four-year degree seemed like something beyond what I could do. It reminded me that my diagnosis wasn’t the first time I felt helpless. Despite poverty and disability, I always had access to a library. My lack of wealth and degrading vision didn’t negate the hours I spent learning in one. I realized I was becoming an Oedipus, choosing to be ignorant and metaphorically blinding myself to what I could do with what I had. It wasn’t about loss, but about adapting, and so I opted to embrace opportunity. I attended community college, and after completing my Associates of Arts degree, I transferred to the University of Central Florida (UCF) in the summer of 2021 and majored in English literature. In doing so, I was given the opportunity to present at the American-Russian Symposium, an event that English literature students at UCF were invited to participate in. I presented an essay that analyzed the local nuances of the Old South as represented in William Faulkner’s short stories and how they relate more universal themes. It became evident to me that I enjoyed doing research, so I pursued the opportunity to write an Honors Undergraduate Thesis. I conducted research on representations of disability in literature and completed my thesis in Spring 2023, which coincided with my Library of Congress Internship (LOCI) that I attended from January through May of 2023. I was adapting, and I no longer felt helpless. I made the Dean’s List every semester I was a full-time student at UCF, and I graduated with honors in my major in Spring 2023. Now I'm a student at Simmons University studying for the Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree, an expensive endeavor I'm attempting to do without loans. A scholarship like this would alleviate the weight of deciding between necessary medical appointments or continuing my education. I would no longer feel the need to cut corners on my future, and that would mean everything.
Rachelle Echevarria Student Profile | Bold.org