Rachel Tillman's (Class of ’83) story in entwined with the very origin of the Northwest School. "I graduated in 1983," they say, "and I was there the very first year as a 10th grade student when the school opened." As a member of the school's formative early classes, Tillman acknowledges the role that this unique environment played in solidifying their emerging identity as a scientist. "I was a fully entrenched scientist/humanist/philosopher by nature, and we grew up around international scientists," they share. "I transitioned to NWS from Seattle Country Day School, and this move helped to support and affirm who I already was."
Today, Tillman has come a long way and walked an illustrious and accomplished path. They are the Founder and Executive Director of the Viking Mars Missions Education & Preservation Project (VMMWPP), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving the history, artifacts, and original documents of NASA’s Viking missions to Mars. Their career integrates science, storytelling, and inclusivity in ways that underscore Northwest's signature approach to an interdisciplinary perspective.
Their connection to Viking was inspired by their father, James E. Tillman, a meteorologist on the NASA Viking program. As a pre-teen, they helped save the third flight-ready Viking Mars Lander (VL3) from scrap. Today, they lead global efforts to curate and preserve the lander, hardware, mission archives, and conduct oral histories from all Viking mission contributors - from scientists and engineers to mission leadership, students, support personnel, and all manner of technicians and researchers.
I have always been - and remain - an advocate of equity and access. Whether it's talking about the international scope of the Viking mission in personnel and objectives, or building a coalition to drive affordability and transparency around FCC regulations and create increased access to broadband internet networks across the US... Everything must put values first.
Tillman reflects on how Northwest fostered community and bridging differences. "I appreciated how NWS allowed people to be who they were without trying to shape them," they say. "We had all kinds of kids here - demographically as well as artistic/cultural interests, and these tended to be fairly segregated groups." But then they add, "Here, everyone hung out together and we even bridged the gap between communities. The focus on Humanities reinforced that, and the in-depth study of difficult topics that are frequently glossed over in public school: conflict, equity, race, classism." They admit that they benefited from their family's exposure to scientific exploration, international travel, community-driven values, and inclusivity. Tillman was already exploring their nonbinary identity and complex notions of self and society through Sartre, Dostoyevsky, and poetry. But they recognize that for many of their fellow students at the time, Northwest was their first exposure to these texts.
After Northwest, Tillman attended Occidental College, where they triple majored in Biology, Art, and Japanese - and also studied Spanish while enrolled in the program. Following that, their career path included experiences as a business development professional, scientific inventor, and technology strategist. Their career has involved leadership roles at Intel - where they earned awards for innovation and quality and helped shape early internet streaming and multimedia strategies - where they contributed to writing Software Development Life Cycle and was awarded Intel's highest achievement award.
A passionate advocate for equity in education and STEM access, they continue to mentor youth, present at international at aerospace conferences around the globe, and design immersive educational experiences - such as the MarsMaker™ event - and partnerships with schools, museums, planetariums and other entities. In 2020, Tillman became the first non-male recipient of the Fred Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History.
As Founder and Executive Director of The Viking Mars Missions Education and Preservation Project, Tillman upholds values that were ingrained through Viking and their family: lessons of leadership, problem solving, communication, critical thinking, human interaction, the historic impact of innovation: "My sole purpose really has always been to make the world better by connecting people to each other and their own purpose, and using my resources to ensure greater equity, curiosity, and advocacy. I do that by telling the stories of Viking and preserving the incredible mission oral histories and artifacts for future generations."
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Viking 1 landing on Mars, Tillman recently presented at the Museum of Flight on stories, surprises, and important lessons related to the mission, as well as details about the unique archive dedicated to preserving this work.
Tillman is grateful for the welcoming and non-judgmental faculty at Northwest, who helped "a young neurodivergent and nonbinary kid fit in" and feel at home. They call out specific individuals whose kindness and support still remain with them, close to four decades later. "Mrs. Jackson and Justin in the Front Office were my safe space," they recall. "They always had an open door. Larry, who taught biology, would let me hang out and ask all kinds of questions about biology - which eventually became part of my college degree. And Lisa my Spanish Teacher, David the dance teacher (even though I wasn't a dancer), and Marilyn the acting teacher... all of them truly embraced the belief that a feeling of cohesion and belonging was important for students."
Tillman's journey and accomplishments are a powerful example of the Northwest School ethos in action: curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and the courage to perceive and build things that do not yet exist.
