It all started with a book by James Patterson.
When Rachel Barney became engrossed in the adventures of a fictional crime-solver, it led to a realization.
“That’s when it clicked for me and I knew what I always wanted to be which was, an FBI agent.”
Rachel’s love of crime stories has shaped her into the person she is today.
Rachel is a 17-year-old who grew up in a small town of Pink, which is on the outskirts of Tecumseh. Rachel describes her town as an area that has little to do, so naturally she has to drive into Tecumseh to either eat at restaurants or simply go to places to entertain herself and her family. Rachel believes that small town life has affected her opportunities such as her love of crime solving or even participating in clubs at her high school. She even explained the confusion of jay-walking in a big city.
“It just makes no sense to me so I just do it,” she said.
Rachel is the sixth of seven children and lives with her mom Tina Heaton, who works with domestic violence victims.
Rachel has a very close relationship with her mom.
“We support each other,” she said. “I help her and she helps me.”
However, there is one thing both Rachel and her mom absolutely cannot agree on, the ’80s. Rachel loves everything about the decade and can talk about it forever, but although her mom lived through it she can’t stand it.
In other interests, Rachel from a young age liked reading Shakespeare. This interest helped spark her love of creative writing and desire to travel to England. She also figured out that she had a knack for problem-solving. Shows like “Criminal Minds” fascinate her with the art of solving mysteries.
In addition, following society’s rules is important to Rachel. She mentioned that in school and daily life, she always tries to follow the rules.
“I’ve never been the type of person to lead a group of people. I just like to do what is right, which is why it would be a great fit for me to be a police officer,” she said.
Rachel is extremely excited about her career plans after she graduates high school with the class of 2021. Rachel wants to attend college for criminal justice and then dreams of taking her talents to New York to become a police officer and start the process of becoming an FBI agent.
