Rachel Ako

Rachel Ako was born in Honolulu, Hawai’i. Her heritage includes Filipino, Chinese, Native Hawaiian, Spanish, and Portuguese descent. Early in her career, Ako entered the pageant world as Miss Nevada in the Junior Miss America Pageant at the age of sixteen. She developed a diverse professional background, encompassing roles in business and entertainment. Ako is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She later earned an Executive MBA and pursued doctoral studies. Her career has included work as a recruiting director for New York Life Insurance Company.

Ako achieved recognition as a best-selling author with her book, “Rise: True Stories of Triumph in the Face of Adversity,” published in 2015. This publication became a best-seller in the Non-Fiction, Self-Help, and Inspirational categories. Her on-screen appearances include a role as a manicurist in the film “The Cooler” (2003), which featured Alec Baldwin. She has also participated in reality television, most notably as a contestant on “Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X” (Season 33) on CBS in 2016. Though she was the first contestant eliminated, her experience on the show included navigating a historic evacuation due to a tropical cyclone.

Beyond her television work, Ako has engaged in modeling for various hospitality and entertainment brands such as Aria Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, Circus Circus Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, and Pala Resort and Casino in Palm Springs, California. She has also appeared in national commercials for Wal-Mart and domestic commercials for businesses including Eldorado Casino in Reno, Nevada. In addition to her professional endeavors, Ako is involved in philanthropy and continues to leverage her platform to inspire others, particularly Asian Pacific Islanders, toward confidence and self-expression. She maintains an active public presence, sharing insights from her life and career.