How a CV graduate turned an unexpected path into a beloved Lancaster institution — and never stopped giving back.

When Rachel Adams (CV '00) headed off to Penn State to study environmental science, she had no idea she'd one day be best known for her crepes: "Restaurant owner after studying environmental science — you never know what you're gonna end up doing!" Twenty years later, that happy surprise has become one of Lancaster's most cherished neighborhood spots: Rachel's Creperie, which celebrated two decades in business this year.

Rachel opened the creperie with a passion for community as much as for food, and that spirit is woven into everything she does. Each year she hosts dozens of fundraisers at the restaurant, partnering with organizations that reflect the values of the Lancaster community she loves — including SEEDS CV, Lancaster Chooses Love, Lancaster Farm Sanctuary, the YWCA, and the Lancaster Public Library. She has also been a supporter of the Conestoga Valley Education Foundation's charity golf tournament, continuing to invest in the community where her own education began.

This past summer, Rachel opened her doors for a milestone close to her heart: hosting her CV Class of 2000's 25th reunion at the creperie. It was a full-circle moment — the halls of CV gave her friendships and memories that she still treasures, and now her own restaurant has become the place where those connections are renewed. "I genuinely loved my time there," she says warmly, recalling memories like joining the first girls' lacrosse team, working on the senior yearbook, cheering from the "peanut gallery" at basketball games, and making signs for home football games.

She speaks fondly of teachers who left a lasting impression — Mrs. Snavely's environmental science class, Mr. Klunk's history lessons on Japanese tea ceremonies, and Mr. Larkin, who once spent a study hall teaching her about the marvels of compound interest. "I meet so many people who do not look back at high school fondly," she says. "I'm so lucky that I do."

When Rachel steps away from the creperie — which, by her own admission, isn't often — she loves to run and read. Her greatest pride, though, is her daughter Ella, a psychology major at West Chester University. "She is the best thing I ever did," Rachel says. "She makes me proud every day — she's the Rory to my Lorelei." (Fellow Gilmore Girls fans, you know exactly what that means.)

Rachel's story is a reminder that life rarely follows the plan we imagine at 18 — and that the best paths are often the ones we couldn't have scripted. On behalf of the entire CV community, congratulations on 20 remarkable years, Rachel. Here's to 20 more.