Major: Biosciences (Cell Biology and Genetics Concentration; Sports Medicine and Exercise Physiology)

Residential College: Jones College

Hello! I’m Lauren Light, and I am currently a junior at Jones. My experience with the CCL first began before even matriculating to Rice as a participant in the Civic Immersion program. Even though I am a native Houstonian, participating in CI gave me a much deeper understanding of the various social issues that impact our community while also connecting me with other inspiring students who work towards the shared goal of addressing these challenges. Because of the energizing experience that I had with CI, I was encouraged to continue my journey with the CCL by joining an Alternative Spring Break program that was focused on flooding resilience and then later spent a year creating an ASB program that collaborated with various organizations in Houston and New Orleans to confront environmental health concerns. This past summer I continued working on water sustainability challenges but in São Paulo as a Loewenstern Fellow! The fully funded experience was truly life changing in allowing me to fully immerse myself in a completely different culture and find a sense of community outside of what I have known my entire life. The CCL has had such an instrumental impact on the trajectory of my undergraduate career and what I intend to work towards even after graduating from Rice, and I hope to help connect other Rice students to these amazing opportunities as a CCL ambassador. If you have any questions about CCL programs, please feel free to email me at lyl1000@rice.edu! :-)