Care
During O-Week, I fell and hit my knee while jumping into the Jones College Fairy Fountain. As a Jones RHA (Rice Health Advisor) attended my scrape, I realized how grateful I was for Rice’s Culture of Care. An RHA’s goal is to ensure that each student feels supported mentally and physically, and this RHA not only saved my day but actually became a vital resource during my transition to college. Wanting to provide that same support to others, I have now been an RHA for 3 years, helping new students as they experience campus life for the first time!
Curiosity
Academically, opportunities at Rice have let me follow my curiosity and take initiative! I joined the “Launching! to Adulthood” research lab at the Texas Medical Center (TMC), working closely with participants, analyzing data, and collaborating with an experienced research team. Our research focused on young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and I formed meaningful connections with my mentor and participating families. These relationships transformed abstract research questions into deeply human stories and allowed me to further develop my passion for developmental psychology. What started as a learning experience evolved into a leadership role, and I became the lab’s lead research assistant. Though our research was done in the TMC, I received class credit (shoutout PSYC 488) and presented my findings at the 2024 Social Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Community
Beyond the classroom, Rice lets me pursue passions that make me feel most like myself. Whether acting alongside talented peers, going to see showstopping plays at Houston's Alley Theatre, or traveling with my cohort to Chicago, I have had SO. MUCH. FUN. At Rice, it’s so easy to get involved in extracurricular activities, but we always say that if you can’t find one, make one! My friend Claire and I founded our residential college’s theater committee, JiBroAdway (Jones + Broadway), earlier this year. Since its founding, we’ve put on 2 fantastic showcases (Hamilton and Wicked sing-throughs), and even collaborated with Rice’s official theatre department to promote our Spring Musical.
My time at Rice has been deeply meaningful, enabling me to explore academic interests while also engaging fully in the extracurriculars that make Rice so unique!
-Katie, Jones ‘26 (Published on 3/10/2026)
Keep Exploring
As a Social Policy Analysis and Global Affairs major, I (Sammi F., Chao ‘27) never expected to spend a summer designing maternal health devices in Kenya. Through the Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies, I traveled to Nairobi to help prototype low-cost devices targeting postpartum hemorrhage and pre-eclampsia. Here’s how stepping outside my academic comfort zone ended up teaching me one of the most valuable lessons of my college career.
Growing up in a small village, I (Pu, Martel ‘29) vividly remember a dozen kids gathering around a tiny box television just to watch a soccer match. Our village didn’t have much, but for 90 minutes, none of that mattered. The FIFA World Cup is where dreams come true, communities unite and the entire planet speaks a single language: soccer. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that I went from watching the tournament on that tiny screen to playing a behind-the-scenes role in bringing these massive sporting events to billions of people across the globe. Here’s a look at what it’s really like to bring the game to life on the international stage!
Working on a major global event is a common goal for anyone interested in the sports industry, but at Rice, these opportunities can often start earlier than expected. I’m Jacob L., Hanszen '27, and over the past year, I worked with the Houston Host City Committee to prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Here’s a look at my experience and the lessons I learned while helping to lay the groundwork for the tournament.
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