Ranger Rachel Como

Meet Rachel Como! Rachel grew up in Chapin and attended the University of South Carolina, where she graduated with a Bachelors in Environmental Studies. After college, she started her ranger career at Kings Mountain State Park as an Assistant Ranger. She then transferred to Sesquicentennial State Park. After a few months at Sesqui as an Assistant Ranger, Rachel was promoted to a full-time position as the Off-Park Ranger.

" Working outdoors and being able to interact with people who also loved the outdoors is amazing," said Como. "I really love learning to use new equipment like the tractor, the man-lift, and things of that sort. My favorite task or duty would probably be cutting grass or being on the tractor."

Rachel’s job is varied and includes customer service, landscaping, and safety oversight. She is also the safety officer for Sesqui and Goodale State Park, which means she is responsible for making sure the parks are following safety procedures.

One of the most difficult things for Ranger Rachel has been rule enforcement:

Enforcing rules has been really hard for me because you have to find a balance between allowing people to have fun in your park but also make sure they are following the park policies that are set in place. Park rangers are responsible for how people treat the park as well as the atmosphere in their park. We always want to make sure people are having fun but also being safe in and respectful to the environment they are in.

Rachel has had the most fun working at Kings Mountain, where she started her ranger career. She lived at the park, and she says that her coworkers quickly became like family. "Starting as an assistant ranger and living with other assistant rangers was a great experience," said Como. "I would highly recommend to others if they are wanting to become a ranger."

Como would encourage others to become a park ranger if they enjoy doing something new every day and working outdoors. She also advises that customer service experience is a big part of the job. “Customer service is a big part of being a ranger, if you have any experience in that field—don’t downplay it. My customer service experience has been one of my biggest saving graces in this job.”

Ranger Rachel is not an Ultimate Outsider yet, but she has crossed off quite a few parks. She loves the mountains and is looking forward to visiting Oconee State Park.

Thank you, Rachel, for all of your hard work and dedication! To get a sneak peek of what a day in Ranger Rachel's life is like at Sesquicentennial, watch Episode 27 of our “Day in the Life” series.

Think you might be interested in a job with the South Carolina State Park Service?  Click here to see our current, full-time job openings!