Scholarship Sponsor Q&A: Rachel Watsky, Henry O. Peabody Scholarship Board

Since 1991, the Henry O. Peabody Scholarship has provided women in and around Norfolk County, Massachusetts with renewable scholarships to pursue higher education. Rachel Watsky is an alumna recipient of the Henry O. Peabody Scholarship, earning awards from 2008 through 2012—and, in 2024, she became the first alumna to be elected to the Henry O. Peabody School for Girls Board of Directors.

Rachel’s scholarship support helped her earn her Bachelor of Arts in Earth Sciences, magna cum laude, at Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences in 2012. She worked as a wetlands consultant for several years before returning to BU in 2015, earning her J.D. from its School of Law in 2018.

She is currently an attorney practicing Environmental Law, Land Use and Zoning Law, and Administrative Law. Along with her legal practice, Rachel is a co-author of commentary articles published in LandLaw regarding recent MassDEP Office of Appeals and Dispute Resolution decisions; an adult Girl Scout volunteer, and active member of her religious community.

Rachel says she feels privileged to be able to ‘pay it forward’ and contribute to the Henry O. Peabody Scholarship program. We spoke with her about the impact of her award and her passion for giving back.

Scholarship America: You were a Peabody Scholar—what did receiving the Henry O. Peabody Scholarship mean to you and how did it impact your educational journey?

Rachel Watsky: I was honored to receive the scholarship. My parents were deeply supportive of all three of their children attending college or university, but I knew scholarships would make it easier for me to focus on pursuing my education and making the most out of my college experience. The Henry O. Peabody Scholarship helped make it possible for me to engage in my college community and to expand my course load beyond the required courses for my undergraduate degree with creative writing, archaeology, and foreign language classes, making me a more well-rounded and confident individual.

I am a lifelong Girl Scout, and that and receiving the support from the Peabody Scholarship encouraged my dedication to volunteer work. During my first year in college, I volunteered in public service programs sponsored by BU, and throughout the remainder of my undergraduate years (and later during my graduate education), I served as a student mentor to incoming first-year students.

SA: After graduating, what path did your career take, and how did your Peabody experience influence those next steps?

RW: After graduating in 2012 and leaving my college job, I entered the job market during a time when finding employment in my preferred field was difficult. The skills I grew while in college, including academic curiosity, creative problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, were an enormous benefit during this time. I sought out job-shadowing opportunities where I could see my educational background in action and attended additional educational classes to increase my understanding of state environmental regulations.

In early 2013, these efforts paid off when I was hired as a wetlands consultant. My work as a consultant on the “science side” of environmental law led me to applying to and attending law school to become an environmental attorney. Although my law school did not have an environmental law concentration for me to follow, I was able to coordinate with my law school mentors to build my own course load and create that specialization for myself. My experience as a Peabody Scholar helped foster that confidence to seek out opportunities and make my own path.

SA: Can you share how you became involved with the Peabody organization’s Board of Directors?

RW: Certainly! Since passing the bar and earning my license to practice law in 2018, I’ve worked as an environmental and land use attorney in Massachusetts with cases from all over the state. In 2023, I received a call from one of the current Directors—in fact, he was one of the Directors I met as a recipient during a Peabody Scholarship recipients’ dinner! During the call, we talked about my experience as a Peabody Scholar and what I had done since college. He asked if I was interested in becoming involved in the Scholarship program again, but this time as a Member, Director, and Trustee. I was delighted to hear that the Scholarship program was thriving and that there was an opportunity for me to give back to the Scholarship that helped make my education possible. After undergoing a thorough interview process and meeting the other Members and Directors, I was elected to join the Board of Directors in 2024.

SA: What has it been like transitioning from scholarship recipient to board member?

RW: The first year (2024-2025) was surreal. As a recipient, I met the then-Board members at the 2008 Peabody Scholarship recipients’ dinner, but otherwise had limited contact with the Board beyond writing thank you notes to the Board for the scholarship. Despite meeting other recipients at the time, as a teenager it was difficult to envision the remarkable impact from the Scholarship on young women recipients’ lives beyond just my own.

As a Board member, I’ve learned how seriously the Board prides itself on serving the community and the recipients and about the Board’s dedication to continuing to provide assistance to young women seeking higher education and the opportunity to better themselves. It is a truly humbling experience to learn how many young women have benefited from the Scholarship program. Board members read every thank you note and letter the recipients send each year, and it is an honor and privilege to see these individuals’ growth over the course of their education.

SA: How does it feel to now support students who are in a similar position to where you were not so long ago?

RW: It certainly feels like my time as a recipient was a long time ago!

All joking aside, there’s a sense of fulfillment and joy in serving as a Member and Director. I understood as a recipient that the Board of Directors worked hard to carry on Henry O. Peabody’s vision of providing women with education and the opportunity to become self-sufficient. As a Member and Director on the Board today, I see that effort and dedication from my fellow Board Members and Directors in action and see the recipients’ reciprocal dedication to education and the pursuit of their goals.

I feel very strongly that the Board’s success is owed, in part, to the recipients’ commitment and effort, and am honored to help make their goals possible.

SA: Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the future of the Peabody Scholarship and the organization as a whole?

RW: I suppose to answer this I need to provide context. Henry O. Peabody was a self-made millionaire in the late 1800s. Contrary to what one might expect, Mr. Peabody had remarkably progressive beliefs about educating women, as he saw how his sister struggled from a lack of education and opportunity.

After his death in 1903, it was revealed that he had left the bulk of his estate in trust to establish the Henry O. Peabody School for Girls, dedicated to “furnish instruction to girls by teaching the various branches of art, science, and industry best calculated to enable the scholars to acquire an independent livelihood.” Absolutely unheard-of goals for his time!

In accordance with the trust, the Trustees managed the estate to build the necessary funds and opened the Henry O. Peabody School for Girls in 1940. The Peabody School operated for nearly 50 years to provide vocational education programs to young women! After the School’s closure in 1989, the Trustees worked to create the Henry O. Peabody Scholarship program. It launched in 1991, and it has awarded over $5 million in scholarships to women over the past 35 years. This is both an inspiring and intimidating history.

I hope to continue to serve Mr. Peabody’s vision of providing young women with opportunities for education and employment. My hope for the future is to see the organization encourage recipients to build a network of fellow alumna to serve as a support system after their time as scholarship recipients ends, as an expansion of Mr. Peabody’s vision and culmination of the belief that success includes helping others reach their goals.