Name:		Ms. Rachel Skerritt
		Month:		May 2007
		Schools:		Penn BA 1998, M.S.Ed 1999
		Organization:		No More Lies
		Title:		Author

Rachel Skerritt graduated from the University of Pennsylvania at the age of twenty with a Bachelors Degree in English and a minor in African American studies in 1998. She stayed at Penn an additional year to obtain her Masters in Secondary Education. Returning to her hometown of Boston, she began teaching high school English at her own alma mater, Boston Latin School. She immediately fell in love with her job, mostly because of the kids, but also because being a teacher allowed her to spend her summers getting entangled in complicated situations.

Though her commitment has always been to improving the quality of education in public schools, Rachel always had a passion for creative writing. In her last year of college, she'd begun a novel entitled Truth Be Told, a coming-of-age story that was loosely based on her experiences at Penn. In 2001, she self published the novel, selling many copies out of the trunk of her car, and trying her best to prevent her curious high school students from reading about her somewhat mature adventures.

Since then, Rachel has been recognized by both Ebony and Essence magazines for her short stories. She also received an award at the Hollywood Black Film Festival for her original screenplay. Recently signing a two-book contract to Kensington books, she is thrilled that her latest book, No More Lies, is available in stores nationwide and through online booksellers this month. The novel, through a series of twists and turns, addresses important questions that folks face in their twenties: What kind of person do I want to be? What kind of person do I want to love? And how do I stop being bitter about some stuff that happened a long time ago that I just can't let go of?

After seven years working at Boston Latin School, Rachel decided to pursue high school administration. She is currently in the Boston Principal Fellowship, a one year intensive program designed to train educators to be school leaders. If she takes on a principalship next year, she will be the youngest headmaster in the Boston Public Schools.

Because she thoroughly enjoys having way too much to do, she is working on her third novel, to be published in 2008. In it, she productively channels all of her fears about turning thirty. Visit www.rachelskerritt.com for more information on her projects.