Rahel Wondwossen was born and raised in Ethiopia and moved to Boston, MA at the age of ten. She received a B.A. in Political Science and English from Bates College, an M.S. in Teaching Adolescent English from Pace University and an M.A in School Leadership from Teachers College at Columbia University. Rahel joined Teach For America in 2005 and was placed as a founding member of Mott Hall Bronx High School, in the south Bronx, NY. She then went on to work for KIPP NYC before moving to New Orleans to open Cohen College Prep as the founding principal. She is currently finishing up as an Education Fellow at NSNO, designing a school leader support program and is getting ready to move to South Africa to serve as the full time Chief Academic Officer of Nova Pioneer Schools, a network of schools across the continent. Learning to navigate across two cultures, learning another language and her love for reading about far away places were foundations of her wanderlust spirit later in life.