Rachel Ayn Pickens

Rachel Ayn Pickens was born on June 12, 1987 in Croton-on-Hudson, NY and passed away on July 15, 2024 in Washington, DC after a brief illness. Rachel's mother Kathy remained steadfastly by her side in her final months.

A proud graduate of Hackley School (of Tarrytown, NY) and then Wellesley College (of Wellesley, MA), Rachel loved and adored the family she found through her alumni. In her career and hobbies, she was willing to try anything once, and she usually succeeded. Her ambition and drive took her to many cities and countries, and she soaked up the new information and points of view she encountered in each destination like a sponge. The shape of these experiences reflected brightly in her personality - she had empathy, patience, and understanding like no other.

Few people take such an active role in their own lives as Rachel did. Even fewer people use their progress to help others as much as Rachel did. She was an avid advocate for those around her, encouraging them to do better, be better, and exceed their own expectations. She was always strategizing how to maximize her impact on the world - through her career, through volunteering, through teaching, and through the friendship she offered. Her courage to do more and learn more was unparalleled. Right up until she passed away, she was planning how to use her own experiences to help others.

Rachel loved animals, especially cats, and she volunteered at Our Companions Animal Rescue in Manchester, CT up until early 2024. Her eclectic taste in music and love for art also brought her many friends, acquaintances, and experiences. Rachel was also a through-and-through Taylor Swift fan, seeing something of a kindred spirit in another talented and ambitious woman like herself.

Rachel was preceded in death by her father Elliot Pickens, and is survived by her mother Kathy Pickens, as well as many friends who will miss her so very much.