As Rice University prepares to celebrate the Class of 2025 at commencement May 9-10, Rice News is spotlighting a series of standout seniors.
Riya Misra didn’t know exactly where she’d end up when she began applying to colleges from her hometown of Boston, but Rice quickly rose to the top of her list.
“I liked the campus,” Misra said. “I liked the very tight-knit feel and the traditions and the residential college system as opposed to Greek life.”
Misra is completing a double major in English with a creative writing focus and social policy analysis. The combination has shaped her path toward a future in journalism — something she’s pursued as both a student and editor with The Rice Thresher.
“A lot of those skills I’ve developed at my student newspaper, but my humanities degree has really helped me fine-tune my writing and how that helps me with my reporting and my narrative journalism, my features,” Misra said.
At Rice, Misra found that studying the humanities wasn’t only about literature; it was about sharpening the essential tools for any storyteller.
“(I learned) how to write really good, strong, tight prose, how to craft a story, how to tell it,” Misra said. “I think it’s just a tool that everyone needs regardless of if you’re going into journalism, regardless of if you’re working on a student paper. Honestly, regardless of what you pursue after Rice, I think that those are very common tools that can help a lot of people.”
She credits the university’s faculty and environment for enriching her experience.
“I’ve gotten the chance to work with some of the most amazing professors, novelists and writers and essayists who I really, really admire,” Misra said.
Her takeaway? The School of Humanities is a place where disciplines and students collide in unexpected, inspiring ways.
“You kind of get all of these different minds and all these different experiences and backgrounds kind of joining together,” Misra said.