As a senior at McMurtry College majoring in Economics and Social Policy Analysis (SOPA), I’ve always been interested in structural inequality and why it persists. This inquiry is what drew me to my fields of study. I became interested in policy as a tool for shaping opportunity, and in law as a system that determines whose rights are protected and whose are overlooked. At Rice, I’ve been able to explore these passions not only in the classroom, but also through hands-on experiences.
One of these defining experiences was participating in the Summer in D.C program. This program provides students with $8,000 in funding to conduct policy research alongside a summer seminar on political theory and contemporary policy challenges. I spent the summer of 2024 at the Institute for Policy Studies working on the Criminalization of Race and Poverty project. With a senior fellow, I researched the school-to-prison pipeline and broader trends in the criminal justice system. This experience showed me how gaps in policy and the legal system can interact and reinforce patterns of inequality.
This semester, I further built on that perspective with my work through the Judicial Practicum. This program places Rice students in the chambers of federal and state judges, offering a firsthand look at how the legal system operates. I had the opportunity to intern with Judge Christina A. Bryan in the United States District Court for the Second District of Texas. Over four months, I observed both criminal and civil court proceedings and worked with her law clerk to research and summarize case backgrounds and pending motions. This crash course in legal procedure gave me a nuanced understanding of how the legal system operates — experiences that will be pivotal for my future legal career.
Rice has also supported my pre-law journey in more practical ways. Through the Office of Academic Advising, I received guidance on navigating the law school application process, as well as funding for LSAT preparation. Having access to LSAT funding was especially meaningful as it made it possible for me to focus on preparation without the added pressure of financial constraints.
My time at Rice has deepened my fascination with how policy and law intersect to shape our society. Whether researching the criminal justice system in D.C. or working in a federal courtroom in Houston, I have been able to meaningfully explore this pathway and see how it shapes real lives. After graduation, I plan to continue exploring these questions at the University of Michigan, researching income dynamics and poverty, before attending law school. Looking back, my time at Rice has been transformative, giving me the foundation and the community I needed to turn an interest into a career.
-Ian, McMurtry ‘26 (Published on 5/19/2026)
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