Jasmine Cheng spent three weeks in Paris this past summer learning the craft of fiction and this year she is helping fellow Rice undergraduates discover what the city could offer them. A sophomore at Martel College majoring in anthropology and business with a minor in art history, Cheng is one of three Rice Global ambassadors spreading the word about the international programs open to Rice students.
Cheng first learned about the Paris Summer Program through an email from Rice Global and reached out to the office with questions.
“I was really intrigued that I didn't have to know French to go,” Cheng said. “That made the program feel very accessible to me.”
With that hurdle cleared, she enrolled in ENGL 301: Introduction to Fiction Writing, taught during Session 2 by Ian Schimmel, associate teaching professor of English and creative writing.
“I needed a distribution course, and as an anthropology student, I see writing as a critical skill, so the class felt directly applicable to me,” Cheng said. “Above all, I just wanted to go to Paris."
She got what she wished for and more as Schimmel led the class across the city including a visit to the catacombs. The cohort grew close enough to also plan its own weekend trip to Normandy.
“Every morning, my entire class would stop at the same bakery and eventually we knew the people working there,” Cheng said. “Taking the same little path every day made me feel almost like a local and that's an experience you can't get just by traveling on your own.”
Those friendships followed her back to Houston, where several classmates who share her residential college still get together. Now, as an ambassador, Cheng is fielding questions from students considering the program for the first time.
“It's a great place to start, and, honestly, it's hard to go wrong,” Cheng said. “You're surrounded by Rice peers, you're learning from a Rice professor and at the end of the day you earn Rice credit, so it's valuable academically as well as socially.”
If you see Cheng on campus and have questions about Rice Global or her experience studying in Paris, ask!
The priority deadline for the 2027 Paris Summer Program is Dec. 9 and details are available on the program website.