Decades after her expulsion, Rachel Louise Snyder returned to Naperville North High School on Nov. 7 to tell her story of personal growth and how she was able to become the successful journalist she is now.
Snyder describes her immediate reaction to how she feels being back at NNHS.
Snyder is an accomplished professor and journalist at American University in Washington, D.C., but before she won several awards from her writing, some of which include the Helen Bernstein Book Award and the Hillman Prize she was a young student at Naperville North. After the death of her mother, Snyder and her family moved to Naperville, where she enrolled at Naperville North, meeting her lifelong friend, Cindy Landorf. After being expelled from NNHS for missing too much school, she worked at and enrolled in North Central College, where she took part in the Semester at Sea program. Now, she writes about her experiences with domestic violence, and publishes in many news outlets such as "The New York Times", "The Washington Post," and more.
Snyder reflects on her anxiety upon entering the school that she once dreaded.
On Nov. 7, Snyder spoke at North about her book in relation to the school and how North challenged her and forced her to reflect on her troubled childhood. During this visit, The North Star staff writers Sofia Oliveira and Lucy Rubenstein were able to take a tour with North's Learning Commons teacher Mark Skarr, who is a fellow NNHS almunus, while revisiting the school. Snyder's flashbulb memories showed just how striking and recognizable this experience was for her.
Snyder recognizes the area where she was expelled.
Even though the memories were often not very fond, she still recognizes what she learned from her largely negative high school journey at NNHS.
Snyder remembers the name of teachers and staff members that made her high school journey less difficult.
Now back at North decades later, Snyder was recognized for her inspirational recovery and journey to success as not only an author and professor but as a human as well. The numerous adversities Snyder faced have made her an incredible example of what determination and perseverance looks like.
Snyder reacts to her plaque of stardom in the front of the building.
"[I] knew that however vague my future looked—and it looked pretty vague, still—it was this idea of promise that I'd hold. This sense of possibility," Snyder said.