There’s a superstition at Rice that if you walk through the Sallyport — the arch at the center of Lovett Hall in the Academic Quad — before graduation, you won’t finish in four years. That thought never crossed my mind when I accidentally walked through one day in the fall of my sophomore year. There isn’t much empirical evidence to support the superstition, as most students who do make it out in four years just fine. For me, however, that wasn’t the case. But in hindsight, stepping through that arch was the best decision I made during my time at Rice.

When I first chose chemical engineering as my major, I knew I wanted to explore a diverse set of industries. After spending my freshman summer working in a biomolecular lab at Rice, I became particularly interested in pharmaceuticals. As a result, I started applying for internships in the spring of my sophomore year. A few months later, I was offered a position as a Cell Line Development Intern at Genentech, a biotechnology company in the San Francisco Bay Area. The catch? It was a year-long internship, which meant taking a two-semester leave of absence. I knew that this could be the only time I ever come across this opportunity, so I took a leap of faith and accepted the position.

At the time, I didn’t know any students who had taken a leave of absence for an internship, so I had to figure out the process on my own. When I finally arrived in San Francisco, I worked on genetically engineering a host cell line to produce the company’s drug products. The experience was invaluable — I gained hands-on lab skills, worked with industry-standard equipment, and applied concepts from my biomolecular classes in a real-world setting. In addition to technical skills, I learned how to define my own research goals, troubleshoot errors, and navigate the open-ended nature of industry work. Some experiments took weeks or even months to complete, so all of my decisions had to be deliberate. I also very quickly learned that problems don’t always have clear answers or predefined solutions like I was used to seeing in my classes. Beyond the work itself, I built strong relationships with my team and made friendships that I still have to this day. Looking back, that year was one of the best of my life.

Returning to Rice, I wasn’t graduating on my original timeline but rather the year after. At first, I worried about the transition, since I would be taking classes again after more than a year away and joining a cohort of chemical engineering students I didn’t know. I am grateful that I was met with support at every turn. The Office of the Dean of Undergraduates connected me with other readmitted students in the same position. My chemical engineering advisors made sure I had all the classes I needed and my new classmates welcomed me into their cohort, making me feel like I truly belonged. Taking time off for my internship was a risk, but it was one of the most rewarding choices I’ve ever made. It gave me the chance to grow, explore my interests, and gain industry experience while still being able to return to Rice at the end of the day.

-Megan, Brown ‘25 (Published 7/29/2025)