My origin story is… crumbles paper. The funny thing is I honestly am unsure how Rice chose me, but I am honestly extremely happy about it. During my senior year of high school, I was not really sure of where I wanted to go for college. I was scared to apply to prestigious universities because of the fear of getting rejected and how desperately I wanted to graduate college debt free. But funny enough, my friend would constantly yap about Rice and how that is where she would hope to attend. But let me spoil that story for you and let you know that she currently attends Bucknell, and she is extremely happy there.
Jenny giving me emotional support while I tie my shoes for the second time
But let me not get sidetracked, I decided to look into the school and really admired the Psychology program and how it talked about Human Computer Interaction which is a topic I am deeply interested in. So, I decided to apply for Rice and see what happened. Fast forward, I ended up getting accepted ED (Early Decision) before I have ever seen the school. But that is honestly how I got into Rice, and I decided to pursue Computer Science and Cognitive Sciences as a double major and picked up the Engineering Design minor because I wanted to learn about design in an engineering context. This summer program honestly seemed like an immersive experience that would allow me to explore somewhere I have never been. I would also gain credits that would go towards my minor which is also very exciting. But looking at it now, after this summer program I may switch my major to Psychology to become closer to human factors, the reason I honestly applied to Rice in the first place lol.
Maximillian trying my amazing vison glasses prototype!
I honestly felt like these first few days made me realize the difference between work that I enjoy and work that is done because it is necessary. I feel like if I did not have to work I would honestly travel and spend more time contributing to my happiness in whatever capacities I desire. I want to see the world while learning and creating memorable experiences that I can know that I can look back on with no regrets. So that’s the end of my yapping for today lol, but I can’t wait to talk more about this trip in the next post 😋.