When Zach Alvear ’21 entered Rice as the Spring (Texas) High School valedictorian, he quickly found out he was in for a challenge.
“I had the same story as a few people here at Rice, where my freshman year was super difficult for me,” he said. “But here I am now, my senior year, and my GPA is great. I never stopped trying to learn and do my best.
“Honestly, that's why I wanted to come here,” he continued. “I wanted to be on that level. I always had this itch to learn these high-level topics that are taught at high-level universities. And I think that's actually what I got here. But it was just very, very difficult. It took a lot of effort.”
Along the way he found time to be a part of Mariachi Luna Llena, Rice’s mariachi club.
“I think what's really cool about Luna Llena is that it brings this beautiful part of Mexican culture to everyone, and it includes everyone,” he said. “I think music is something that should be shared with everyone. I've been a lifelong musician. And I think it's really cool that at Rice, you have a place where everyone from any background can come there, they can learn this music and they can share it with the Houston community.”