Lovett O-Week:
Pass the Torch
Mollie McDonnell
Advisor
Austin Benavides
Advisor
Staggered Start: On Your Marks, Get Set, Toast!
THE Austin Benavides. Not just a man, but a legend in his own mind. If Austin is your advisor, I welcome you to a truly enriching experience, as he is not only goofy and kind of nerdy, but he also can seem to make anything he does fun. But I must warn you, he will use many phrases that make no logical sense and have no real social implications and try to convince you they are cool but they never quite are. Austin spends most of his time enjoying the company of his multitude of bromances, most of which come from his time spent playing Ultimate Frisbee with the Rice Cloud 9 Team. When Austin is not spending his time with the bros, he is playing ping-pong, pool, tennis with friends, or working towards his desired degree in Computer Science. The way to describe Austin is basically that he is up for anything. Whether it’s rock-climbing, cycling, chess, attempting to dance, or just hanging out and watching a movie, Austin always makes time for his friends. Lucky for you, you will have the privilege to meet this wonderful gentleman, and if you have him as your O-Week advisor be excited, because you are in for a great ride!
~Nick Treuil, Lovett ‘17
Mollie “MollzBallz” McDonnell’s hidden talents include pottery, plant breeding, painting, owl-themed decorating (she has over 40 owls on her side of the room), roller-skating, credit-carding (you’ll learn what this is soon enough), lab rat-wrangling, jewelry-making, nickname-giving, and being Hispanic (she’s half Cuban, so she’s fluent in Spanish as well as Cajun slang). This Southern gal is easily distracted by pictures of teacup pigs (or, even better, the real thing), but if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to actually immobilize MollzBallz, keep in mind her number one weakness: her own jokes. No one makes Mollie McDonnell laugh like Mollie McDonnell does, and she has been known to injure herself or to come close to peeing her pants because in her words, “y’all, I’m hilarious!” Don’t get it twisted, Mollie is more than just fun and games. Your typical Mollie sighting will often include a collection of ketchup packets and/or a pile of papers, covered in reaction pathways for one of her many biochem classes or room assignments as part of her role as Lovett’s Internal Vice President. As this combination suggests, she’s found the perfect balance of work and play. She loves late night talks, and while she can easily talk your ear off, we promise you’ll love every second of it. Although Mollie can be certifiably insane, she is the most caring and sympathetic friend you can find, and you should consider yourself lucky to have her as an Advisor.
~Juliet Welcome and Meghan Davenport, Lovett ‘15
If there is one piece of advice I would like to tell you about Zhifan, that would be “do not do homework with her” -- because you would not likely to do any. Probably, like me, you would laugh through hours of her inadvertent jokes in a Fondren library study room yet guiltily enjoy the fun, hoping in vain to pause the time! I always cannot help but wonder how come I always find it fun talking with her. Hailing from China, Zhifan Li grew up in Suzhou, a city which is always referred to as “a city near Shanghai”. She is an incredibly caring person, who puts the priority of helping others over coding and other less important things. She loves writing functioning and fun codes. Even though she is still trying to figure out the actual correct answer to “what’s up?”, she can definitely help international students to fit in the different culture. As the president of Chinese International Student Association, she is also involved in different clubs and organizations. She is a fun, energetic and bold person that can brighten up your life. If I could give another piece of advice, that would be “do homework with her,” because you have your whole life to do work, but enjoyable moments are precious. You are lucky to have her as your friend and Peer Academic Advisor.
~Glenn Zhu, Brown ‘16
If Maggie Puckett is your O-Week co-advisor, get ready for a week and year of rambunctious laughter and bright smiles from this pixie-haired Hanszen sophomore. Born and raised in Brownsville, Texas, this bubbly Hanszenite is majoring in Civil Engineering and minoring in Sustainability and is a part-time dancing queen, as well as a dedicated Beyoncé fan club member. You can see this native Texan in her element during any of her performances for Rice Dance Theatre, on the Powderpuff field as one of Hanszen’s speediest corners, or in her room watching the Daily Show whilst eating Nutella out of a jar. Maggie will laugh at most of your jokes (even the bad ones, take it from me), and she’s always up for venturing out to any of the awesome concerts opening in Houston, going on a wilderness adventure, or for telling you all about why Texas, is in fact, the best state. You can always come to Maggie if you want to hear about her love of Quentin Tarantino movies, to expand your knowledge on Mexican food, or if you want to just chill and listen to some tunes. Consider yourself warned because this bundle of joy is bound to make your O-Week experience one you will never want to forget.
~Danya Kachkou, Hanszen ‘17
Zhifan Li
O-Week Peer Academic Advisor
Maggie Puckett
Co-Advisor
