Hoth Girl Summer
Ainsley High
Biochemistry 2028
Bay Area, California
Hailing from Oakland, California, this blonde baddie embraces her roots as a surfer, sushi enthusiast, and lover of the outdoors. This 6th floor fondy warrior is majoring in Biochemistry and minoring in English on the premed track. She participates in research and is extremely passionate about her love for nematodes and hatred of drosophila flies. She can often be found as the first person in Brochstein at 8am on a Saturday or at perch the night before. With her work hard play hard attitude, Ainsley will be there for you through your academic and social struggles. Often found munching at Rice Village, this food enthusiast is always down for some grub and will share her copious SweetGreen gift cards. This gym rat will happily accompany you to the REC or encourage you to join her training for the marathon. If you're her kid get ready to join the bike team and powder puff, or for the more mellow sort, join her as she browses the plant aisles at home depot or organizes her Pinterest boards. With her outgoing spirit and infectious joy, you will no doubt have the best O-Week with Ainsley as your mom.
Caroline Graham (Will Rice '28), Bella Hendricks (Will Rice '28)
Katherine Yue
Finance, Psychology, Managerial Economics 2027
Sugar Land (Houston), TX
It is move-in day. You just arrived, dragging two overstuffed suitcases and a suspiciously heavy box, nervous about who you will meet. You are sweating, stressed, and full of questions: Where's your room? Where's the free food? Where's the BOBA?
And then you see her: bathed in golden sunlight, glowing like a goddess, it's Katherine — an absolute Will Rice LEGEND. Katherine will try her best to carry all your heavy suitcases and all your emotional baggage too (rant to her anytime!!). A Houston (aka Sugar Land) native, she's a true Swiftie and who studies Finance, MEOS, and Psychology and is easily the most locked-in baddie on campus. Need fashion, academics, life advice? She's your go to person. Need a dress? Choose one from her famed dress rack (she has an outfit for anything)! You can find her at Sharetea, Gong Cha, Teahouse, Feng Cha, Kung Fu Tea, Moge…hope you're in the mood for a (daily) boba crawl. She also owns the cutest fluffiest babiest cat with 4+ names such as bunny/pookie-nation/pookiath/shayla, feel free to come visit as cat is (sometimes) friendly.
Katherine is easily the best person to talk to, she loves giving advice + is up all hours of night. You're so so lucky to have Katherine as your O-Week mom!
Juliana Zhou (Will Rice '27), Catherine Zhou (Will Rice '27), & Krishna Chalise (Will Rice '27)
Kyle Lu
Neuroscience, Kinesiology 2026
LA/Taiwan
Some might describe Kyle as the most charismatic around will rice. Others swear they saw him rating restaurants like a seasoned food critic before he could walk. One thing's for sure: Kyle is effortlessly cool, deeply trustworthy, and somehow always put together—even in 100-degree Houston heat. With the aesthetic of a chill guy and with the presence of your favorite TA who actually reads your drafts, Kyle's the kind of person who can give life advice and headphones recommendations in the same breath, ask him about the newest Bose model.
A baller on the court and outside, you'll find him serving looks by day and buckets at the Rec after hours. But don't let the laid-back demeanor fool you—he takes his food seriously. Every meal is an opportunity for a detailed, emotionally resonant Yelp review. Kyle will teach you how to spot the best boba on campus and carry yourself with just enough mystery to keep things interesting.
Above all, Kyle is someone you can count on—whether you're lost on campus, feeling homesick, or just need someone cool to sit next to.
Musab Salah (Will Rice '26) Jenny Liu (Sid '25) Anthony Wei (Sid '26)
Gabriel Velez
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 2027
Lawrenceville, Ga
We could not be more jealous and happy for y'all to have Gabe as your o-week advisor. He is the person you can turn to for anything. Want to have a fun night? Gabe is at your doorstep with speakers hyping you up. Need a study buddy? Fondy and Gabe are your new besties. Don't have anyone to talk about TV with all night? Well, you haven't met Gabe yet. Need a shoulder to lean on? Gabe is ready with tissues. Gabe is funny, proactive, goofy, and honest, but most importantly, he manages to make his empathy shine through all of these different qualities. Regardless of whether he is busy being the life of the party or is swamped with a week of midterms, he always makes it clear that he cares about you. He has shown up for us time and time again in different ways and we are sure he will do that and more for every single one of you!
Disha Baldawa (Brown '25), Lilly Smith (McMurtry '27) and Akash Bhat (Brown 25')
