Rachel Goochey calls herself an “avid pedestrian.” On any given day, you’ll find her commuting on foot, bicycle or by bus. Even in the dead of winter, Goochey, who earned her master’s in public health from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, chooses public transit over her car whenever she can.
It’s a fitting habit — Goochey is now the program manager of MilWALKee Walks, a community outreach initiative by the Wisconsin Bike Federation. She spends her days leading events around the city that promote walking, biking and public transit, also known as active transportation.
In many ways, it’s the perfect job. “A dream come true is a little dramatic,” Goochey said. “But this is exactly what I hoped would happen, and it did.”
A lifelong commitment to sustainability
Goochey bounced from suburb to suburb as a kid, living in Arizona, California, Idaho and Indiana. She learned how isolating it could be to live in communities where you had to drive everywhere — not by choice, but because poor pedestrian infrastructure made it nearly impossible to commute safely on foot.
Her experiences coincided with another interest: sustainability. She worked at a few natural foods grocery stores and read up on the environmental impact of her everyday choices.
When Goochey took an interest in biking, all the pieces fell together. Biking was good for her health, lowered her carbon footprint and helped her understand how active transportation makes people feel more connected in their neighborhoods.
“When we’re out of our cars and we’re out and about, and we interact with people, we see parts of our community that we wouldn’t normally see,” she said.
A non-linear journey
Goochey’s path to the job of her dreams was a long one. After starting her undergraduate degree in Chicago in 2002, she took a 16-year break from school to raise a family. In 2023, she went back to school to finish her bachelor’s in public health at UWM and then pursue her master’s degree.
At UWM, Goochey was still passionate about active transportation — and wanted to find a way to incorporate it into her studies. A conversation with her advisor, associate professor Michael Laiosa, helped Goochey add urban planning classes to her courseload, which aren’t typically included in a public health master’s program. “He was really excited to let me run with that,” she said.
She also credits UWM’s Student Parent Success Program with helping her achieve her goals. The program provides parents studying at UWM with resources and support while connecting them with other student parents. Her professors, too, were understanding on the occasions when she had to bring her kids to class.
“It was a very supportive environment to have my kids around in,” she said.
Centering community health
When it came time to find an internship, the Wisconsin Bike Federation was at the top of Goochey’s list. She joined the team as a graduate intern and later became a staff member at MilWALKee Walks. Now, she’s the program manager.
Some days, that means hanging out with high schoolers and painting crosswalk murals. On others, she’s strolling with a group of retirees and brainstorming ways to improve pedestrian safety in their neighborhood.
Goochey also returned to UWM as an adjunct professor in spring 2026, teaching introductory public health classes to undergrads. Her class is often the first time that students are introduced to the idea of community health. They learn to look at the bigger picture of how different approaches and policies keep groups of people healthy and safe.
In addition to the public health curriculum, she also likes to emphasize to students that there isn’t one “right” way to reach your goals. Rather, every student’s path will unfold with time.
“I didn’t get my undergrad degree until I was 38 and then I got my master’s when I was 40,” Goochey said. “I always try to tie in that our paths can be nonlinear, and often are nonlinear, and that there’s a lot of beauty in that and a lot to discover along the way.”
