Rachel Aarons is an MA student in History at Queen’s University, working under the supervision of Dr. Amitava Chowdhury. Her research examines how Jamaica’s colonial history and subsequent political, economic, and social transformations have shaped the island’s contemporary socioeconomic development. Her interests include the legacies of slavery and colonialism, migration and diaspora, cultural change, and the development of political and legal institutions. Through her research, Rachel seeks to understand how these historical processes continue to influence Jamaica’s development prospects.
Prior to Queen’s, Rachel earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from York University’s Schulich School of Business, where she majored in finance and marketing, competed as a varsity Track and Field student-athlete, and worked as a research assistant to Dr. Moshe Milevsky and Vijay Setlur.
Beyond academia, Rachel has held leadership and governance roles focused on expanding access to economic and social opportunities. She was appointed to Ontario’s Premier’s Council on Equality of Opportunity, an advisory body that reports to the Premier of Ontario and the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism and provides policy recommendations on youth employment and entrepreneurship. She previously served as President of the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals, where she led nine teams across three provinces and oversaw initiatives advancing career development and community engagement for marginalized professionals. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Human Rights Legal Support Centre, one of three organizations comprising Ontario’s human rights system, which provides legal assistance to individuals experiencing discrimination.
Outside of her academic and professional pursuits, Rachel enjoys long-distance running and listening to The Diary of a CEO podcast.
About
