As a student from Hawai’i coming to Houston for the first time, I expected to enter an entirely new world. Not only did I want to explore my new city, I also wanted to get to know the Houston community.
I have always been service-oriented, and one of my favorite activities this year has been volunteering at the Houston Aphasia Recovery Center (HARC). Aphasia is a condition when people have difficulty communicating effectively through writing or speaking, often due to brain injuries that result from a stroke. As part of the Rice Stroke club, our group of students visits the center once a week to speak with participants and assist with afternoon programming. I have grown to love returning every week and seeing the same faces. Over the course of the semester, I’ve gotten to know their names, individual stories, and senses of humor. Though holding a simple conversation may be an easy task for those without aphasia, practicing to improve communication makes a world of difference with stroke survivors. It has truly been incredible to be a part of this journey.
If you’re looking for ways to get involved in the Houston community, HARC is just one of the many organizations that does great work for the people in the community. For example, the Rice Center for Civic Leadership offers countless opportunities to get students involved. I’ve also participated in Alternative Spring Break, a program where small groups of students learn about a specific social issue through community-engaged learning and service. Our group of seven strangers-turned-friends took a fully funded road trip to New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA), to learn more about HIV policies in the South. We also conducted outreach with the Odyssey House Louisiana, which provides free STI testing, rehab, and wrap around care services for unhoused individuals. The genuine care and connection that I saw there was truly inspiring. In fact, the entire trip was filled with impactful learning moments and conversations that I’ll remember forever.
Back home in Houston, we visited a partner community organization, Westbury United Methodist Church. There, we heard personal testimonials about the stigma of living with HIV and AIDS. Though we had come equipped with classroom knowledge, nothing could compare to the experience of hearing firsthand perspectives on the scope and depth of these issues.
My experiences with community engagement at Rice so far have been incredibly impactful, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for me in the future!
-Tamara, Martel ‘29 (Published on 6/2/26)
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