RACHEL A.

KANTROWITZ
98 Lorimer Ave.
Providence, RI 02906
323.350.2941

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
 International, qualitative research experience in education, public health, and
development, both from historical and policy perspectives.
 Trilingual: English, French, and Spanish with experience translating and conducting
research in each language.
 Professional writing and editing, both academic and journalistic.
 Teaching and presentation skills, to academic audiences as well as the broader public.

EDUCATION
PhD, African History, New York University, 2015.
 Education and development in twentieth-century West Africa.
 Foreign Researcher at Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, France.
BA, Vassar College, 2006. Phi Beta Kappa, general and departmental honors (History).
 West African and Latin American history major, Hispanic Studies Minor.
 Study Abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

TEACHING AND PRESENTATION EXPERIENCE

Presenter, Various Venues. Recent presentations include:
 L’Alliance Française, Providence, RI, 2017. Invited speaker.
 The Center Jewish History, New York, NY, 2017.
 African Studies Association, Chicago, IL, 2017.

Visiting Assistant Professor (2017-present); Postdoctoral Fellow (2015-2017), Brown

University.
 Designed and taught the following courses: Comparative Education; Decolonizing
African Education: Students and Social Change, 1960s-present; Empire, Childhood, and
Youth.
 Created interactive group activities, individual assignments, presented material, and
provided feedback on student work.
 Conducted research.
 Organized an international conference on Education in Africa.
 Presented research at various venues in Providence and nationally.

Instructor, New York University, Summer 2012.

 Instructor and designer of a summer course on development in Africa (Summer 2012).

English teacher, Lycée Fabre, Carpentras (France) 2007-2008.

 Taught English discussion classes at a French High School, developing activities and
exercises for students at a range of levels.

Tutor, Los Angeles, CA. 2006 to 2007.

 Tutored children in Algebra, Geometry, Social Studies, English, and Writing.
WRITING AND EDITING EXPERIENCE
Freelance editor and translator, 2009-present.
 Translation of works from French to English, linguistic and developmental editing,
specializing in academic papers and articles.
 Translation for asylum cases for African refugees.

Grant Writer and Researcher, AWOMI and Centre Baobab (Senegal), Spring 2009.
 Created a database of West African NGOs that work on conflict resolution for Centre
Baobab.
 Co-wrote and edited grants and organized a summer leadership program for young girls.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE

Organizer, Education in Africa Conference, Brown University, 2017.
 Secured funding, chose participants, and organized an international conference.

Organizer, Teaching African History Workshop, Columbia University, 2015.

 Developed agenda and participants list, conceived of the concept, and organized the
conference in conjunction with Gregory Mann, Professor at Columbia University.

Senior Thesis Advisor, Brown University. 2016-present.

 Advised two honors senior theses.

Assistant, Project Management and Grants Coordination, Community Redevelopment

Agency, Los Angeles, CA. 2006 and 2008.
 Oversaw a competitive grant process with over a dozen grant teams, maintaining
financial and other data in Excel spreadsheets.
 Collaborated and communicated with various stakeholders.
 Developmental editing of grant submission drafts.
 Ensured the timely completion of the various phases of the grant process.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Researcher, Brown University, 2015-present.
 Secondary literature review on topics ranging from education in post-conflict Rwanda
and Afghanistan, to NGOs in Brazil, to activism in South Africa for course development.
 Researched at archives in France on education in West Africa.

Researcher, New York University and Ecole Normale Superieure (France), 2011-2013.
 Conducted original, qualitative research in Senegal, Benin, France and Italy for doctoral
dissertation.
 Interviewed over 60 people and working at over a dozen repositories.
 Research was conducted exclusively in French.

Research Assistant, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, 2006.

 Carried out qualitative interviews for recruiting subjects for an observational study on
adolescent obesity.
  All interviews and communication conducted in Spanish.

PUBLICATIONS
“Catholic Schools as ‘a Nation in Miniature’: Catholic Civism in Senegal and Benin, 1960-
1970s” The Journal of African History. Forthcoming. Peer-reviewed.

“Triangulating Between the Church, State, and Postcolony: Coopérants in Independent West
Africa” Cahiers d’Études africaines, LVI (1-2) 221-222, 219-241. 2016. Peer-reviewed.

“Interview with Hougette Degboe, Dakar, Senegal.” Track 14. Contribution to collaborative Oral
History Jukebox. StoryQuest Oral History Program, Starr Center, Washington College. Digital
Publication. https://soundcloud.com/storyquest-wac/sets/ahajukebox

“For We Were Strangers” The Jewish Journal. March 21, 2013.

“A Festival of Lights – Lite” The Jewish Journal. December 14, 2006.

“A healthy hut – lighter side of Sukkot cooking” The Jewish Journal. October 5, 2006.

SKILLS
 Fluent French. Fluent Spanish. Beginning Wolof. Beginning Yoruba.
 Database management software (DEVONthink).
 Microsoft Office suite.