The cheers began before the newest Owls even reached the Sallyport.
After a long day of moving into the residential colleges, saying goodbye to family and beginning Orientation Week, more than 1,400 new undergraduate students rounded the corner into the Academic Quadrangle for Rice’s matriculation ceremony and an unforgettable welcome. The incoming cohort includes more than 1,350 freshmen — the largest freshman class in Rice history and members of the Class of 2030 — as well as more than 50 transfer students. Dozens of upperclassmen erupted into applause, waving signs, calling out names and cheering as fireworks lit up the night sky. Reflections danced across Lovett Hall and the historic Sallyport beneath a crescent moon, illuminating the excitement on the faces of Rice’s newest students.
For many, the moment was more emotional than they had anticipated.
“I wasn’t expecting all the crowds and cheering,” said Megan Gu, a freshman from New York City and member of Baker College. “Then people started screaming, there were cameras and fireworks. I was like, ‘Oh my God!’”
Several students slowed beneath the archway, looking up before continuing into the Quad, taking in a moment some had heard about long before arriving on campus but were only now experiencing for themselves.
For Gu and her fellow freshmen, the walk through the Sallyport marked the official start of their Rice journey. By tradition, students enter campus through the historic archway during matriculation and won’t pass beneath it again until commencement four years later.
This year’s matriculation carried added significance. Rice welcomed its largest and most selective incoming class while ushering in a new chapter for its residential college system with the opening of Chao College and the return of Lovett College in its newly renovated home.
Despite the university’s continued growth, the evening still felt remarkably personal.
Before taking the historic walk through the Sallyport, the new students gathered inside Tudor Fieldhouse for Rice’s matriculation ceremony, where university leaders reflected on the traditions students were about to join and the journey that lay ahead.
Dean of undergraduates Bridget Gorman encouraged students to embrace uncertainty, take chances, make mistakes and make time for friendships. Student Association president Chelsea Asibbey challenged them to think about who they hope to become over the next four years, while Association of Rice Alumni president Alicia Burns-Wright reminded them that college would test them but also reveal strengths they had yet to discover. President Reginald DesRoches brought the evening back to the tradition they were about to experience.
“Walking through the Sallyport signifies much more than beginning your studies,” DesRoches said. “It represents becoming part of a larger community, the Rice community.”
By the time students stepped beneath the archway, many said those messages already felt real.
“I always heard the residential colleges were a huge part of life at Rice,” Gu said. “Today really showed me that they’re a lot more of your identity than I anticipated, in a good way. My O-Week advisers have already made me feel at home, even though it’s my first day here.”
As each residential college approached the Sallyport, O-Week advisers lined the walkway chanting college names, waving handmade signs and cheering each group into the Quad.
The order of the procession reflected Rice’s history.
Baker College, the university’s oldest residential college, entered first, just as it has for generations.
For freshman Meara Maulik, who traveled from New York City to join Baker, that history was exactly what drew her to the college.
“I actually always wanted to be in one of the older colleges because I was really impressed by the traditions Rice has,” Maulik said. “Being in Baker, especially because it’s the oldest college, really shows how much they value those traditions. It feels like you’re part of something bigger.”
Over the next 45 minutes, the remaining colleges made their way through the Sallyport, each greeted by chants, cheers and fireworks.
Chao College closed the procession, marking the first matriculation for the university’s newest residential college and the students who will help shape its traditions for years to come.
“I’m really excited about hopefully leaving a lasting impact and creating my own traditions here at Chao,” said freshman Esthecy Cotiere, a mechanical engineering student from Miami. “I’ve actually been brainstorming traditions that we could start.”
She laughed that Chao came with another unexpected bonus.
“When I found out I was going to Chao and I’d have my own bathroom,” she said with a smile, “I was really excited about all of that.”
“It’s so exciting,” said fellow Chao student Shefali Desai. “Being able to create new traditions and become part of a brand new family is such a privilege.”
Freshman Aiden Raffety agreed.
“Being a part of something that’s completely brand new and being able to build up that tradition is just so exciting,” he said. “Everyone we’ve met has just been amazing.”
While Baker students reflected on traditions nearly 70 years in the making and Chao students imagined traditions still to come, others were already discovering what it meant to make Rice their own.
Jones College freshman Isis Rivera arrived on campus from Chicago, knowing her older sister had already found a home at Rice.
It didn’t take long, she said, to realize her own journey would be uniquely hers.
“You just have to know you’re your own person,” Rivera said. “You shouldn’t compare yourself to anybody. I know I’m going to make my own strong impact here at Jones.”
Rivera participated in Rice’s all-access program before O-Week, giving her an opportunity to meet classmates and mentors before move-in day.
“Hearing over and over again that I belonged here was so validating,” Rivera said. “Then hearing those same words again during matriculation made me realize this really is my community.”
For Baker College freshman Annika Bhandari, that feeling began before the ceremony even started.
“I was so scared to move into college,” Bhandari said, who moved from New York. “But as soon as I got out of the car, everyone already knew my name.”
For many students, matriculation wasn’t simply the end of a long Move-In Day. It was the moment everything finally felt real.
“We’re not just walking through the building,” said Will Rice College student Adrian Gonzalez. “We’re walking into the future of our lives.”
Luke Riddles, also of Will Rice College, described the evening as the culmination of years of work.
“I’ve been working toward this moment my whole life,” Riddles said. “Everything I did in high school led up to an experience like this.”
After a day of unpacking boxes, meeting roommates and navigating a whirlwind of introductions, fellow Will Rice student Max Jonah admitted he was exhausted.
Then came matriculation.
“I was tired throughout the day,” Jonah said. “But hearing the speeches and then walking through the arch rejuvenated me.”
As the final fireworks faded into the night sky, students lingered beneath the Sallyport taking photos, laughing with their new classmates and soaking in the moment before heading toward their residential colleges. Some glanced back at the historic archway one more time before continuing into the Quad, knowing the next time they pass beneath it will be four years from now as graduates.
For Maulik, the evening had already inspired a new goal.
Watching O-Week advisers enthusiastically welcome the incoming class, she found herself imagining what it would feel like to stand on the other side of the Sallyport one day.
“I’m honestly really excited to eventually take on the positions that the people who welcomed me have now,” Maulik said. “I was so impressed, and I want to be that for someone else.”
Four years from now, the Class of 2030 will return to the Sallyport as graduates. By then, Baker students will have added another chapter to one of Rice’s oldest traditions, Chao students will have established traditions of their own and every member of the class will leave the same way they arrived: together.