VISIT

Meet Our Tour Guides

Rice is full of amazing students who come from a diverse set of backgrounds and interests, and we are so excited for you to meet some of them! Our tour guides are passionate about sharing their Rice experience and eager to show you a glimpse of what it’s like to be a Rice Owl.

Adam '25

Granville, Ohio

Residential College: Brown

Why did you choose Rice?
Coming from central Ohio, I get this question all the time. I first considered rice as an eighth grader who was interested in architecture. As I grew older and my interests shifted into applied math, business, and music, I learned that Rice would accommodate and offer me meaningful experiences no matter how drastically my interests shifted. I also wanted to be surrounded by people who see the value in a diverse campus where collaboration and support eclipse competitiveness. On top of this, I felt some sort of serenity and comfort when I visited during my junior year of high school. The campus was beautiful and the students were friendly, both of which paired nicely with my realization that Rice would accommodate my academic, extracurricular and social interests. I also loved the opportunities that lay beyond the hedges of Rice’s campus in the greater Houston area.

Interests: ATHLETICS, ENVIRONMENTAL, MUSIC, STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Adrien '23

Katy, Texas

Residential College: Lovett

What is your favorite Rice experience?
My favorite experience at Rice has been working with fellow emergency medical personnel in Rice EMS. I really enjoy learning about medicine and contributing to the health and safety of all Owls.

Interests: ARTS, COMMUNITY SERVICE, MUSIC, RELIGION
Amber '25

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Residential College: Wiess

Why did you choose Rice?
I wanted to spend my once in a lifetime college experience somewhere that prioritized student happiness as much as academics, and found that perfect balance at Rice, despite having never toured it before. For me, having a close-knit community, robust and individualized support system, and a collaborative academic environment were very important factors in my college search process, and I felt that Rice was the best place that offered all of them.

Interests: ATHLETICS, CULTURE, STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Amy '25

Rockville, Maryland

Residential College: Sid Richardson

What is your favorite Rice experience?
My favorite experience at Rice is playing volleyball with my friends in the Sid Quad in our free time. We originally formed a team for a volleyball tournament during one of our residential college’s KITC (Keg in the Club) events near the beginning of the year and enjoyed playing with each other so much that we played together again for the intramural volleyball season and now use it as a way to destress throughout the semester.

Interests: CULTURE, MUSIC
Andrew '24

Houston, Texas

Residential College: Brown

Why did you choose Rice?
Having grown up in Houston, I’ve seen the positive impact that Rice has had on my community. I chose Rice because I was looking for a top-tier education that would challenge me academically and give me the opportunity to interact with so many amazing intellectuals, artists, and athletes. Likewise, I wanted the opportunity to get to know my professors and learn from them in a personalized setting. Rice also provides so many opportunities in terms of activities: so much so that I could fill all of my time with meaningful activities and still have unexplored areas! Likewise, there are so many opportunities to grow professionally (for a career/graduate school) and personally by interacting with the career center (and their plethora of events and activities), the Doerr Institute, amongst others. Rice's small size allows for me to have so many leadership opportunities within these organizations.

Interests: ARTS, ATHLETICS, MUSIC, STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Angelina '24

New York City, New York

Residential College: Brown

What is your favorite Rice experience?
Definitely O-Week! But not even my own O-Week. Advising this past semester has actually been my favorite Rice experience because I’ve developed such amazing bonds because of it! O-Week is a huge part of virtually everyone at Rice’s experience, and for good reason! There’s so many amazing events and traditions stuffed into this one week of beautiful chaos. I was a Diversity Facilitator at my home college of Brown this most recent O-Week. It was such an amazing opportunity to foster a more inclusive environment at my residential college. It was also a great way to connect with New Students at Brown. Some of the New Students from my O-Week group have actually become some of my closest friends! I’m looking forward to even better O-Weeks to come!

Interests: COMMUNITY SERVICE, CULTURE, SOCIAL JUSTICE, STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Angie '23

Houston, Texas

Residential College: McMurtry

Why did you choose Rice?
Growing up in Houston, Rice has always been a part of my life, but it wasn't until I attended Owl Days that I really got to interact with its students. Everyone I met was extremely welcoming, and I could tell that they all genuinely cared about one another. That weekend solidified my decision to commit to Rice.

Interests: ARTS, ATHLETICS, ENVIRONMENTAL, RESEARCH
Anika '23

Cranbury, New Jersey

Residential College: Sid Richardson

Why did you choose Rice?
Having never been to Texas before Admitted Students Day, I didn’t know what to expect when I first visited Rice. But during my campus visit, every Rice student I met was extremely warm and welcoming, and I can now say that I’ve always felt incredibly supported on campus. With the residential college system, collaborative environment, and boundless resources, Rice has been the perfect fit for me.

Interests: COMMUNITY SERVICE, ENVIRONMENTAL, RESEARCH, STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Anne '25

Atlanta, Georgia

Residential College: Lovett

What is your favorite Rice experience?
One of my favorite Rice experiences was during fall semester of freshman year. The day happened to be jam-packed with events, such as former President Leebron’s BBQ as well as Esperanza, which is RPC’s fall formal dance. So, my friends and I basically all pulled up to the BBQ in some fancy clothes (and got to take a picture with Leebron himself!). Then, we went to Esperanza and took the cutest photos ever. But, it didn’t end there. I was also volunteering for the clean-up shift for Esperanza as a part of RPC, and I got to take back all the leftovers (2 bottles of sparkling cider + a whole box of cake) for the rest of us to enjoy as a late-night snack in between going to another event that Lovett was hosting that night. Admittedly, that made for one super long day, but never in my life would I have ever imagined for that day to be possible.

Interests: COMMUNITY SERVICE, RESEARCH, STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Annie L. '25

Hangzhou, China

Residential College: Jones

What is your favorite Rice experience?
SO MANY… One of them is participating in Adventure Quest with my friends! Adventure Quest is an annual relay event held by Gibbs Recreation Center featuring activities such as bear crawl, kettlebell carry, tire flip, fast feet hurdles, archery, etc. My friend and I went just for fun and it was a true bonding experience. We are definitely going to sign up again next year.

Interests: COMMUNITY SERVICE, STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Annie M. '25

Dallas, Texas

Residential College: Wiess

What is your favorite question to be asked on tour?
My favorite question to be asked is Why did I choose Rice? For me, the question is a great way to show how all of the different topics I've talked about on my tour connect together to make the entire university so unique. It gives me the chance to talk about Rice in a more personal way than other tour topics do. I also think by sharing how I decided on Rice, I can perhaps help prospective students figure out what they are looking for in a college and how they might decide.

Interests: ARTS, COMMUNITY SERVICE, RESEARCH, SOCIAL JUSTICE
Arturo '25

Fort Payne, Alabama

Residential College: Hanszen

What is your favorite Rice experience?
One of my favorite experiences from my time at Rice was going to the Houston Zoo and Museum of Natural Science for the first time. I got to explore new parts of Houston and have fun with some of my new friends. Since then, I've gone back to the Hermann Park area many times because it's a very integral part of Houston only a short walk away.

Interests: ATHLETICS, COMMUNITY SERVICE, CULTURE, RESEARCH
Audrey '24

Princeton, New Jersey

Residential College: Wiess

Why did you choose Rice?
My conception of Texas as someone from the East Coast was limited solely to cowboy boots and ranches, so it was really exciting for me to have the opportunity to go to a school in an unfamiliar place that I could learn about. I was also drawn to Rice’s smaller class size, as well as its residential college system, because I wanted to find close-knit communities wherever I went. Finally, I loved its location near the TMC and downtown Houston and felt like I could really get the best of both worlds.

Interests:
Austin '25

Katy, Texas

Residential College: Sid Richardson

What is your favorite Rice experience?
I knew Rice was my home after this moment.

It was about 9:01 pm on September 14th, 2021: a whole month since I first arrived to Rice. It was pouring rain outside. Immediately, I texted the fourth-floor group chat and told them to change quickly— we were going to play in the rain.

Sure, we had homework to finish and projects to complete. But for the thirty minutes that we were outside in the rain, that didn’t matter. There were sprinklers shooting out waves of water all around our residential college quad— it was a whole waterpark. I looked around at all the other kids from my Residential College screaming in joy and running around. The rain brought a cathartic release of emotions as I realized that Rice had given me everything I had wanted from the college experience: a place of happiness and a sense of belonging within my residential college, and the entire Rice Community overall.

Interests: STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Blaine '24

Irvine, California

Residential College: Wiess

Why did you choose Rice?
How do you make any important decision? A pros and cons list! Okay, but on a real note, I knew that no matter how that list came out among my top schools, there was something within me that knew I would pick Rice—something unsaid that was pulling me here. Choosing Rice is quite possibly the first real decision I made for myself, sitting in my room at the start of the pandemic, nearing the end of my high school career. That decision has filled me with confidence everyday I’m reminded of it, as I remember how indescribably fulfilled I am at this school.

Interests: COMMUNITY SERVICE, CULTURE, MUSIC, SOCIAL JUSTICE
Brendan '24

Euless, Texas

Residential College: Martel

What is your favorite Rice experience?
Being an advisor during O-Week was an incredible experience. I’m super grateful that I had the opportunity to advise eight amazing new students with three fellow co-advisors. The familial sense O-Week provides is a really unique and beautiful aspect of Rice culture and community.

Interests: ATHLETICS, RESEARCH, SOCIAL JUSTICE, STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Catherine '25

The Colony, Texas

Residential College: Will Rice

What is your favorite Rice experience?
Alternative Spring Break (ASB) was probably the best week of my undergraduate experience so far. ASB is an experiential learning program held through the Center for Civic Leadership (CCL). Throughout the year, you meet with your cohort to bond and learn about your social issue. This culminates in a fully-funded spring break trip to a chosen destination, in which you continue to learn by meeting community partners and engaging in service. However, you also get to have a lot of fun with your group and bond with them even more! I learned so much and got to engage with so many inspiring community partners, but I also had so much fun and made great friends.

Interests: CULTURE, ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL JUSTICE, STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Chacko '24

New York City, New York

Residential College: Martel

What is your favorite question to be asked on tour?
My favorite question to answer is, “If you were not giving a tour right now, what would you be doing instead?” I received this question in one of my first tours, and it was my favorite to answer as it informs the student in what a day in the life of a Rice University student looks like while also adding a personal touch to the answer.

Interests: RESEARCH
Chase '24

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Residential College: Wiess

What is your favorite Rice experience?
Being part of the Black Student Association has been my favorite part of my Rice experience so far. Not only have I had the chance to get involved on campus in leadership, it has also allowed me to meet new people and grow socially. I’m so grateful I found my own community in BSA and I hope to get to share this experience with prospective students.

Interests: COMMUNITY SERVICE, SOCIAL JUSTICE, STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Chiro '24

Lagos, Nigeria

Residential College: Brown

What is your favorite Rice experience?
My favorite Rice experience is not one single story - being a part of the Rice Africans Student Association (RASA) helped me find a group of friends that I can more easily connect with, and experiencing the events, meetings, gatherings all form part of my favorite experiences at Rice.

Interests: ARTS, CULTURE, MUSIC
Cooper '24

Houston, Texas

Residential College: Brown

What is your favorite Rice experience?
My favorite Rice experience was during Sunday at the end of my O-Week, when my advisors took all the new students in my group to House Of Pies and we got brunch together. Hanging out and laughing over a meal at the end of the week with all the new people I had met at Rice was a great experience, and I think keeping up our occasional House of Pies tradition has kept the group together too. Since my advisors got us hooked on House of Pies, my friends that were new students in my group and I have often gone on pie runs together. Just last semester, even with one of my advisors who had graduated and was back in town visiting, we went and got House of Pies, ate outside, and hung out at a dog park for a couple of hours together to catch up. It definitely serves as a great memory of times at Rice, people I’ve made friends with here, and of course a good source of pie.

Interests: ATHLETICS, COMMUNITY SERVICE, CULTURE, ENVIRONMENTAL