Talk to me about: Civic Immersion, Alternative Spring Break (ASB), Moody Global Fellows
Major: Neuroscience
Residential College: Duncan College
Hi everyone! My name is Michael, and I’m a junior from Duncan majoring in Neuroscience on the pre-med track. I first became involved in the CCL through participating in the in-person Civic Immersion Program during the summer before my freshman year. Although I grew up around the Houston area, I was not familiar with all of the diverse communities and social issues of the city. It was truly inspiring to engage “beyond the hedges” of Rice’s campus and connect with community partners working to tackle some of the most pertinent and complex social issues facing our city. My experiences as a CI participant inspired me to become an in-person site leader for Civic Immersion the following summer. This allowed me to deepen my understanding of social justice issues in Houston while developing my leadership capacity. That summer I was also fortunate to be part of the inaugural cohort of the Moody Global Fellows Program, which allowed me to have my first international abroad experience in Costa Rica. Going abroad for the first time was a truly transformative experience which motivated me to seek out further international opportunities and return to MGF as a site leader this past summer. Currently, I am working as a site leader for an Alternative Spring Break program with fellow CCL Ambassador Erica to investigate a social issue that I am passionate about, which is barriers/disparities in mental healthcare access and delivery in rural Texas communities.
In my free time, you can find me dancing with Rice VSA and BASYK, helping with on-campus emergencies in REMS, giving tours on campus, or taking my maltipoo puppy Sully for long walks. I am passionate about all things CCL, so please feel free to reach out to me at mct15@rice.edu if you want to chat about CCL programs, fellowship opportunities, and more!