Unconventional students: Emma Reford pirouettes while pre-med

Emma Reford came to Rice as a pre-med student but “didn’t really know what that meant,” she said. “I didn’t know what the MCAT was. I didn’t know about prerequisite classes or anything like that, but I knew I did like science and I liked helping people.”

The senior from San Antonio knew she made the right choice after a trip to Honduras with Rice’s chapter of Global Medical Brigades, an international organization of students and medical professionals working alongside communities to implement sustainable health systems.

“It was just so inspiring to see doctors working with little to no resources but still giving all parts of themselves to help these people in these communities that are so underserved,” Reford said.

The cognitive science and philosophy double major looks back at her Rice journey with pride, “being in a place where working hard is something to be admired and something that’s cool.” 

“My pre-med journey has perhaps not been the stereotypical one,” she said. “It has involved dance. It has involved philosophy, psychology and volunteer trips to Honduras. And I’ve been so lucky to have Rice support me every step of the way.”