Society of Rice University Women (SRUW) President, Baker VolunteerIn what roles have you volunteered for Rice?
I've spent the most time volunteering with the Society of Rice University Women (SRUW). I joined when I returned to Houston after retiring, and really enjoyed attending SRUW programs and meeting other Rice alumni. Then I started working on the SRUW Program Committee, became the SRUW Program Committee chair, and am now serving as the president of SRUW.
I also have volunteered to talk with Rice undergrads about a career in the Foreign Service, and volunteered at the Baker Institute to review and comment on the projects of Rice students who have had summer internships in Washington, DC.
Why do you volunteer for Rice?
I enjoy maintaining my connection with Rice and getting to know other Rice alumni. I have taken courses on the Rice campus and gone on several Rice Traveling Owls trips--all enriching experiences.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering at Rice?
Getting to know other alumni and learning new things.
What's a fun Rice fact about you?
I was assigned to Jones back when it was all women. My freshman roommate and I joined up with two other Jones roommates and made ourselves into an unconventional quad our sophomore year, using one of our two adjoining rooms for sleeping and dressing and the other for studying. We knocked out a brick in the wall between the two rooms so we could pass our phone (there were only landlines back then) between the two rooms. And then our junior year we added a fifth roommate. We were the only foursome and then fivesome in Jones, as far as I know.
Why should others volunteer for Rice?
Other Rice volunteers shaped me and helped make me who I am--from the senior who recommended a class that became an important influence on my life to the O-Week leader who introduced me to the magic of Rice.