Arianna Porras, she/her
Junior, Sid Richardson
Humorous, Determined, Kind
Major: Psychology
Minor: English
Why did you want to become a FLI Ambassador? Coming into my Junior year, I knew that becoming a FLI Ambassador would be an opportunity for me to help bring together the FLI community at Rice. As a FLI Latina, I know that there are many others who have intersecting identities, and my goal is to celebrate the unity of such!
What does FGLI mean to you? Being FLI defines me beyond the tax bracket that I fall under. Instead, identifying as FLI has allowed me to embrace the background I come from, which is a gratitude I quickly built at Rice. The FLI experience has made me the person I am today. Whether I be cracking a joke on a terrible day or simply trying to find an alternative solution to a problem, being FLI has made me humorous, kind, and determined to do whatever it takes to get a task done.
What is one challenge that you've experienced as a FLI student and how did you overcome it? At Rice, I didn't always have this mindset; in fact, I would say my biggest challenge as a FLI student at Rice has been being able to see myself as fitting-in amongst my peers– aka a strong sense of impostor syndrome. With the prestige of Rice, it is often that I cannot relate to many students that get to attend here: never has this limited the opportunities I find myself taking up. I think the most important part of overcoming this feeling has been going to FLI events and seeing others be successful alongside me. Often, the FLI community inspires me to see how possibilities are endless and that I, too, can reach for the stars.
What are you involved in outside of being a FLI Ambassador? Aside from this role, you can see me gushing about my experience as an Owl Access Peer Leader and as a Moody Global Fellow (I talk a lot fortunately), occupied as one of HACER’s Socials Committee Heads, or stressed as a TA for the social sciences here at Rice.
What's been your favorite class so far? My favorite class at Rice has been Statistics for Social Sciences (SOSC 302) with Dr. Ferguson. This class taught me the importance of what it means to have a professor believe in their students. Looking back, this class always had me on my toes, but it was worth seeing how far I could go with real-data research projects.
A piece of advice for FLI students: A piece of advice for FGLI students is to stay true to yourself!! Many of us spend too much time finding ways to fit in with the status quo at Rice, but I promise that your background does not make you any less than other students attending Rice!! Be kind to yourself besties. :))