Rain doesn’t dampen matriculation for Class of 2019

The torrential downpour that inundated campus on the evening of Aug. 16 couldn’t dampen the spirits of more than 900 new freshmen gathered inside Rice University’s Tudor Fieldhouse for the annual matriculation ceremony, where they received their formal welcome to the Rice community. The ceremony capped off Move-In Day, the first official day of O-Week.

Rice Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson was the first to take the stage and greet the Class of 2019.

“This is the moment and the occasion in which you become Rice students,” he said. “From this moment forward, your lives and the future of Rice University are intimately entwined with one another. … That is cause for celebration, and it is why we are here this evening.”

Hutchinson then welcomed Rice President David Leebron to the stage, where Leebron encouraged the students take advantage of Rice’s diversity and everything the university has to offer.

“Engage with the people who are like you, and engage with the people who are different from you,” Leebron said. “You will learn from both, and the diversity of your classmates will be one of the great treasures of your experience not just here at Rice, but for decades to come.”

Leebron concluded by telling the students, “You are about to embark on a wonderful journey. If you fully seize the opportunities available to you, this will be an experience that will shape your lives and enable you to achieve great satisfaction and make an enduring impact on the world.”

Following Leebron’s remarks, Rice Student Association President Jazz Silva took the stage. She encouraged the new freshmen to learn to value themselves for more than just their intelligence and use their Rice experience as an opportunity to really get to know themselves.

Silva said that like most Rice students, she started college being completely focused on academics. However, during the summer following her first year at Rice, she had her first epileptic seizure.

“Still, at this point, … I was more concerned with competing academically than managing my own health,” she said.

Silva said she then hit “rock bottom.” However, thanks to the support system at Rice, she said, she was able to get back on track.

“There’s 50 people in line waiting to pick you up, and there’s 50 people who have been in your exact same position,” she said. “And the second I put my pride away, things started to turn around for me.

“In that year, I may not have had all A’s, but I learned how to ask for help, and I learned how to be humble, and I learned how to appreciate my health, and to be honest; that was the first time in my life I have ever had my priorities straight.”

Silva encouraged the students not to underestimate the irreplaceable value of the many vulnerable moments that make up the college experience.

“You are at Rice because you have potential that transcends just what’s on your transcript,” she said.

Following Silva’s remarks, Association of Rice Alumni President Sue Oldham ’90, who also serves as director of admissions development for the Jones Graduate School of Business, addressed the crowd.

“Go ahead, look around,” she said. “All of you have accomplished something incredible simply by being seated and admitted to this extremely prestigious university.”

She encouraged the students to enjoy the next four years — they “go by in a flash” — and challenged them to find out what makes their fellow students tick.

“It’s in those moments that you’ll truly find out what makes Rice ‘Rice,’” she said.

After the matriculation ceremony, the rain couldn’t even stop the traditional fireworks, which sparkled across the sky as the new students made the ceremonial march through the Sallyport into the Academic Quad. Tradition holds that students do not march back through the Sallyport until their graduation day.

Screams, cheers and brightly colored signs greeted the freshmen as they walked under the iconic archway.

Ishani Desai, a Lovett College freshman and younger sister of Lovett College senior Nirali Desai, said she was “taken by (Rice’s) culture and traditions.” She said her sister’s stories about her experiences at Rice inspired her to apply.

“There’s so much school spirit and so much college spirit that I really enjoy,” she said.

Michael Julian, a Jones College freshman, said being at Rice “means the world to him.”

“Since I heard about Rice, it has been my top pick,” he said.

Like Julian, Rice was a top choice for Grant Chambers, a fellow Jonesian.

“Rice was always my No. 1 choice, but I didn’t realize how much I really fit in until today,” he said.