Q: How long have you worked at Rice?
A: I’ve been at Rice since June 2014.
Q: What is your favorite part about working for the university?
A: The people I get to work with make every day exciting and different. I’ve always had great supervisors and co-workers no matter what team or project I’ve worked on.
Q: What do you want people to know about living in Houston?
A: Houston has an incredible food scene. You can find any type of food, and it is always good.
Q: What do you do in your downtime?
A: I’m an avid reader, love to play games on my Switch and spend time with my nephews.
Q: What’s your favorite spot on campus to show someone?
A: I love the art on the PCF tents. They remind me of a unique solution to an unexpected problem that Rice has gone above and beyond to make unique and engaging. I also love the Rice (Memorial) Chapel. Whenever I’m giving someone a tour, I go out of my way to show it to them.
Q: What’s the most exciting time of year for you as it relates to Rice?
A: The start of O-Week because of all the new students coming to campus and getting to experience the community for the first time.
Q: What’s the one thing that makes Rice special to you?
A: When I came to Rice for Owl Days, I immediately felt at home. It still remains a place where I feel comfortable whenever I walk around campus.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: I love finding ways to improve the HR system, finding problems and fixing them and working with the team to implement new ideas.
Q: What are your most memorable accomplishments?
A: Careerwise, I am very fortunate to have been recognized by the board of trustees on two occasions and been asked to present at conferences. On a personal level, I am lucky to work with my dad and sister to support nonprofits in the Rio Grande Valley where I grew up to help them be successful.
Q: What advice would you give to new employees?
A: Explore campus and get involved with a college through the (residential colleges’) Associates Program; it is a great way to be a part of the community and connect with other staff and faculty across campus.
Q: Would you share a bit about your background and career journey?
A: I graduated from Rice in 2014 with a degree in computational and applied mathematics and started working in Human Resources a month later on the compensation team. I was part of the compensation and data team for around six years before transitioning to assist with the migration from Banner to Oracle (iO) and eventually joining the HRIS team as a senior HRIS analyst.
Q: What’s your favorite lunch spot or snack?
A: I love Local Foods’ sandwiches and taking friends and family whenever they come into town. When they announced that Local Foods would be coming to Brochstein Pavilion, I was very excited.
Q: If you could be Sammy The Owl for a day, what would you do?
A: I would go to the zoo and walk around.
Q: How would you describe your experience as a Rice employee?
A: I have been very fortunate to have been provided with great mentorship, opportunities to grow and expand my areas of expertise and figure out what an ideal career looks like for myself.
Q: Where do you see Rice in 25 years?
A: Rice has emphasized its commitment to continued growth in the future and focus on improving the student, staff and faculty experience. I’m looking forward to seeing the changes on campus and innovation that comes with it.
Q: Describe Rice in four words or less.
A: Community, engaging, unconventional and genuine.