Rice University is recognizing David Medina for 35 years of service. As the director of multicultural community relations in the Office of Public Affairs, Medina conducts and participates in more than 100 activities annually, which reach more than 10,000 people. These activities include college information sessions, school visits, community dialogue luncheons, lectures, film festivals, media relations, college essay-writing workshops, galas, receptions and community events. Additionally, he oversees a quarterly newsletter that raises awareness of the university’s outreach efforts. His last day with the university will be March 31.
Q: What is your favorite time of year at Rice and why?
A: My favorite time of the year is August at the start of the academic year. Each year, we organize a series of receptions to welcome Black and Latino students, and it is very moving to see them and their families so excited as a new chapter in their lives begins. And of course, spring is another special moment when the azaleas are blooming and the live oak trees are sprouting new green leaves and stretching their limbs after a dormant winter. The entire scene makes the beautiful campus even more vibrant and spectacular.
Q: Share your most memorable, standout moments during your time at the university.
A: Early on in my career at Rice, I did something that no one at Rice had done. I put Richard Tapia, a Hispanic mathematics professor, on the cover of the Rice magazine, which back then was known as Sallyport. Sallyport had been around for 40 years when I arrived at Rice, and the publication had never featured a person of color on its cover. What I did was something unheard of at Rice. I eventually went on to write the first cover stories about Black, Native American and Asian members of the Owl community.
Another moment that I will always remember is the centennial celebration in 2012. We organized three events to celebrate the Black, Hispanic and Asian communities at Rice. Our events were so successful that we won several national awards, and the documentary we produced, “Young, Gifted and Black,” was aired throughout Texas on PBS, Channel 8.
Q: How have you seen Rice evolve over the years?
A: When I started at Rice 35 years ago, half of the buildings on campus were not standing. There were only about 4,000 students, most of whom were from Texas and the United States, and they were predominantly white. Now, Rice has nearly 9,000 students from around the world, and the university has become one of the most diverse in the country.
Furthermore, when I started at Rice, I was the only person of color in the public affairs office, and now the department has become more inclusive. The university as a whole has become more inclusive and thus more democratic as people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities and religious beliefs interact and learn from one another.
Q: How have you evolved because of your experience at the university?
A: When I started at Rice, I was a proud Latino who was working to help the Latino communities of Rice and Houston. Now, I have expanded my horizon to include all the ethnic and religious groups of Houston: Black, Asian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu,Buddhist and others. I’ve become more sensitive to appreciating their cultures and understanding their concerns. I’ve become one with all of them.
Q: What advice would you give to employees to make the most of their time at the university?
A: To be successful at Rice, engage fully in all that the university has to offer. Connect with people from every corner of the campus. Become a resident adviser at one of the colleges, join a university committee, attend athletic events, lectures and film festivals and volunteer to reach out to the Houston community. Get to know the students, faculty and staff and engage with them. Never isolate yourself.