An eighth grade Rachel Miserlian sits in front of her laptop, sifting through college webpages like a prospector panning for gold.

An army of information — acceptance rates, student population, graduation rates, and more — diligently marches into formation on her master spreadsheet.

Choosing colleges places immense pressure on students from all walks of life; Rachel is no exception. She has been working on her “monster gigantic spreadsheet” for several years, attempting to bring order to the tangled web of college information.

She sees that many other students are in the same situation, overwhelmed by all of the different college opportunities; a seed is planted in her mind.

“I realized that if it was useful for me, it could be used to help others.”

She assembles a spreadsheet for one of her friends, and the positive feedback she receives further cements the idea; she can use her spreadsheets to help other struggling students.

Rachel creates College Rescue on July 27, 2015.

With three different plans available on her website, offering different amounts of schools and types of information, Rachel helps dozens of students over the course of the next two years.

Despite the steadily increasing rigor of her senior-year schedule, Rachel refuses to give up on College Rescue. When asked if her classes and business keep her busy, Rachel flashes a knowing grin before explaining that sleep is not her top priority.

Despite the time and effort put into making College Rescue a reality, Rachel has no regrets. The ability to help others, and the positive feedback — these are the things that matter to Rachel.

Rachel transforms her own struggles into a life preserver for other students adrift in a sea of information; she creates a cheap, easy way for them to discover their dream college. She doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon, and looks forward to continuing to aid her fellow students.