Meet Rachael Daniels ’27, MSL Program
Rachael Daniels ‘27 said she has been “genuinely enjoying my first semester of graduate school.” She said it’s been an adjustment to get back into an academic mindset since she hasn’t been a student since 2010.
“I’m energized by the challenge and by the diverse perspectives of my peers,” Daniels said. “Balancing the workload with full-time work, family life and community commitments is testing (and sharpening) my time-management skills.”
She said she is enjoying all of her classes but if she had to pick one, her favorite is legal analysis with professor Benjamin Herzberger.
“He breaks down legal writing with exceptional clarity and his Zoom sessions are both substantive and highly interactive; a great forum to ask questions and learn from my peers,” she said. “Drawing on his experience as a deputy legislative counsel, he brings practical insights that make the material engaging and immediately useful.”
After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in marine biology, she spent most of her career as a marine science and environmental educator with nonprofits, zoos and aquariums.
“I did not originally plan on law school,” she said. “As the political landscape shifted and I watched environmental protections being stripped and the EPA dismantled in key areas, I felt compelled to do more.”
She decided to pivot toward environmental policy which led her to explore graduate programs and discovering McGeorge’s MSL in Water & Environmental Law.
Daniels said the program aligns perfectly with her interests and goals, offering the flexibility she needs to keep working full time while earning her degree.
“With my background in marine biology and years of experience as an environmental educator, I’ve seen firsthand the importance of fostering appreciation for our ecosystems,” she said. “But I’ve also recognized that lasting impact requires strong policies and protections at the legislative level.”
Daniels grew up in Pennsylvania and attended Pocono Mountain High School East and then the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Later, she attended graduate school at East Stroudsburg University where she earned her teaching certification in secondary education in biology.
Her goal is to use her law degree to work in policy and advocacy, helping to shape and defend regulations that safeguard oceans, waterways and lands.
“Ultimately, I see this work as an extension of my lifelong commitment to protecting the natural world, shifting from teaching about ecosystems to actively shaping the policies that preserve them,” she said.