Rachel DiNunzio

Rachel DiNunzio is a Western New York children’s author & illustrator all about kindness, creativity, and empowerment! Rachel’s book collection features a variety of titles from her Forsynthia Fits In series, to the adventures of Olive the Chameleon Cat, to Be Kind, Scarlet’s Symphony, Moolah: The Counting Cow, and many more! Rachel’s mission is to foster a love of reading, to encourage independent thinking, and to spread a message of kindness above all else.

You can follow Rachel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @RachelDiNunzio or visit RachelDINunzio.com for links to all of her projects including her podcast: The Book Creator Podcast.

While attending South, Rachel was the secretary of student congress, a proud member of the Varsity Field Hockey team for five years as well as held honor of team captain, she was a member of the state-winning varsity softball team, and a proud resident of the art room whenever she could be there working.

Rachel attended the Rochester Institute of Technology achieving an BFA in Illustration and an AAS in Graphic Design focusing her studies on children’s book illustration and design for literacy-learning. Immediately following her undergraduate studies, she began working as a creative teacher at Apple Inc. and pursued her Masters in Publishing at The George Washington University. It was here that she developed Radish Lane: an interactive web portal designed to positively affect literacy rates in communities all over the world through the providing of zero cost, barrier-less access, and read-to-me books for any child.

Rachel has published eighteen books, visited over forty different schools and universities, served on children’s literacy boards, and started additional literacy projects such as The World Changers Club and The My Thoughts Can Change The World project.

Rachel is excited to be joining the Rochester Institute of Technology teaching staff as a professor in the 2023 school year and looks forward to the publication of four new titles in 2023 and 2024!

To all of my friends at South,

I wish someone would have told me to nerd-out more while I was in high school. Of course be a great student academically, it will truly get you everywhere you want to go, but I mean with those innermost curiosities that only you have. Eat, sleep, and breathe what ever it is that makes you happy, pursue those ideas that seem to gnaw at you, and trust your inner compass.

Know that there is almost never one way or one straight path to make things happen. Keep your head down and go after what it is that you want.

I wish you the best of luck and hope to cross paths someday!

Your fellow Billie,

Rachel