For Rachel King learning was never limited to what was taught in the classroom. Her parents made sure of that. "The example they set for me was to always seek knowledge." King attributes her proclivity towards philosophy to her parents, who instilled in King at an early age a sense of intellectual independence. "My brother and I were the kids writing book reports and doing math problems during summer vacation," she said. "While at the time, I wasn't the biggest fan of this 'extra' work, it instilled in me a sense of self-discipline that I believe is very beneficial in reading, thinking and writing about complex philosophical issues." She initially came to UAH with a "mindset" to get a degree in political science and go on to law school to become a corporate attorney. "But everything changed my freshman year when I took Introduction to Philosophy with Dr. Brian Martine (professor emeritus). It was as if in every class session I was led to reconsider how I viewed and understood the world, others and myself.