For This Queensborough Grad, an Elective in Archery has Led to National Tournaments, a Record Setting Championship, And Dreams of the 2028 Olympics
There are three to eight archery terms that fall under every letter of the alphabet, but every archer knows the most important term falls under the letter X, as in “Center X,” or “Bullseye.” And Bullseye is what Rachel Jerome hit on her first day at the Queens Archery range in Flushing four years ago.
Then there’s the coveted “Robin Hood,” wherein a second or third arrow splits the arrow that had already landed on the target. Another feather in Rachel’s cap. On the same day.
“I was amazed because it had been a long time since I first held a bow in my hand,” said Rachel, who was introduced to the sport as an elective in her third semester at Queensborough. “I loved the feel of the bowstring, the quiver of the arrow and the sound when it hit the target. I knew that, for me, archery was not just an elective.”
In her first semester at Queensborough, Rachel enrolled in the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP). The program was highly recommended by her older sister who had benefited from the many resources ASAP had to offer before she graduated from Queensborough in 2012. So, Rachel and her twin brother followed their sister’s advice and became new members of Queensborough’s ASAP family. Rachel was a Student Ambassador, supporting new students through the ASAP enrollment process by providing outreach, conducting information sessions, and directing students to resources on campus. “The experience opened my eyes to the importance of student support.”
Now, Rachel is an Academic Program Specialist at ASAP. Before that, she was hired in 2017 as a College Assistant and then promoted in 2021 to Engagement Coordinator. “I spend a lot of time engaging with students, encouraging them to attend special events, meetings, and actively participate in college experiences.”
Rachel graduated from Queensborough in 2018 with an associate in arts degree (A.A.) in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Psychology. She transferred to Queens College where she earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology in 2020.
But archery fell to the wayside between the time Rachel graduated from Queensborough and then Queens College. “I hadn’t considered that archery might be something I could do outside of college. I was focused on my studies but over time felt unmotivated in other areas of my life. I needed to find something outside of school that I would enjoy, something that would be constructive and challenging.”
Then Rachel remembered her archery class at Queensborough.
“Jason [Demas] was a great archery coach. He instilled in me a love for the sport and the self-discipline I would come to need as my competitive interest in archery grew. And, through his class, I found a community. We cheered each other on to get that perfect shot.” And that memory, she said, is what led her to the Queens Archery range in Flushing. And that led to her “Bullseye” and “Robin Hood.” “I took it as a sign that I made the right decision.”
Rachel practices four to five evenings a week, and on the weekends, often not getting home until 11:00pm. “Sometimes I had to skip practice to study.” By now Rachel was on her way to completing her master's degree in Higher Education Administration at Baruch College, which she earned in 2024.
When she’s not practicing, Rachel frequently competes in USA Archery Tournaments in which thousands of archers compete across the country.
This past summer, she set a record placing first at the 2025 NYSAA Outdoor Championship at the Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex in Cortland, New York. Rachel scored 645 points out of a possible 720.
She placed in the top three for her division in the NYSAA Indoor Championship.
In spring 2026, Rachel will compete in all five USA Archery Tournaments. Competitors must have a national ranking to qualify for the USA Team, an essential steppingstone to qualify for the Olympic Team.
“One of the things I love about archery is that it is an inclusive sport. I travel to Vegas every year where I met a paralympic champion archer who was so supportive. I’m five feet tall and she said to me, “You may be tiny, but you are mighty!”
“Alot of finessing your archery skill is consistency and practice. My goal is to shoot my arrows as calmly and precisely as possible, and the way I do that is to turn my form into choreography.”
Recently, Rachel’s coach from the Queens Archery range sent her a postcard from Barcelona where he was vacationing. The photo was of the stadium where the 1992 Olympics were held and on the back was a message, “A look into your future!”
Photo Credit: Competition Archery Media
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