Albany Ray had never left the country before the summer of 2026 when back-to-back programs in Mexico and Paris carried the sophomore far from her small hometown of Madisonville, Kentucky. Now Ray, who is majoring in business management and psychology and is a member of McMurtry College, is one of three Rice Global ambassadors helping fellow undergraduates discover the international programs open to them.
Her summer began with Moody Global Fellows, a Center for Civic Leadership program that provides a fully funded first experience abroad and took her to Monterrey and Mexico City for two weeks.
“Planning my own flights, excursions and lodging for Mexico set me up well for France,” Ray said. “In Paris, housing was already included in tuition and Rice Global had a support system in place, so I had structure but also the freedom to see and experience what I wanted.”
During Session 2 of the Paris Summer Program, Ray enrolled in ARTS 237: Body, Image, and Sound, taught by Devin Mays, assistant professor of art, and Eli Greene, lecturer of art. The course took students well beyond the classroom, from contemporary art museums and an immersive fog installation to a Kaytranada concert and a performance by a contemporary jazz artist who turned out to be from Houston.
“Some of our assignments were to draw a sound or take pictures of ourselves performing a line,” Ray said. “I'm usually a very straightforward thinker, so the course pushed me past how I usually think and expanded my perspective on art.”
Daily life outside class stretched her as well, since Ray had never used public transportation before she began riding the Metro and walking through a residential neighborhood that most visitors never see.
“Coming from a small, rural town, I got to see Houston as an American city, then Monterrey and Mexico City, and then Paris as a European city,” Ray said. “Seeing how they approach things like sustainability made me think about where American cities are doing well, where they could do better and what rural areas could learn from them.”
Ray returned to Rice ready to share those lessons with students considering their own first trip.
“You might not have the same language, but you understand each other,” Ray said. “And as you get more comfortable and confident, your nerves slowly start to fizzle out.”
If you see Ray on campus and have questions about Rice Global or her experience in Paris, ask!
The priority deadline for the summer 2027 Paris Summer Program is Dec. 9. Meet fellow ambassadors Karlianna Kapche and Jasmine Cheng as well.