Meet the Coords

What is a Coordinator?

This isn’t our first Rodeo! We are your O-Week Coordinators, and we are part of the team of students helping to make your O-Week experience the best it can be! Each residential college has three student leaders called O-Week Coordinators who are chosen to oversee the preparation and execution of O-Week for the college and also the University. We are three upperclassmen members of Brown College, and we have been planning O-Week and looking forward to your touchdown into Brown since January.

We chose to do this job because we love Brown, we love Rice, and we love the ability O-Week has to make a powerful difference in someone’s life, just like it has in ours. Most importantly, we wanted to do everything possible to give you the foundation to make Rice your own and create the impact that your unique passions, perspectives, and abilities make possible! Our main responsibilities as Coordinators have included selecting the theme, choosing the Advising Team, planning events and determining the schedule for the week, reading your forms and matching you with your roommates, and making sure everything is under control before, during, and after O-Week.

Maddie Tumbarello

Junior

Computational and Applied Math/Managerial Studies

Newport Beach, CA

Hey y’all! My name is Maddie Tumbarello, and I am a rising junior originally from Southern California. I (and everyone else at Brown) are beyond excited to meet you! While I was originally scared to go to college in a different state, I am very grateful that I ended up in Houston and at Rice. The culture of Rice and Brown College is truly unique, and while different for everyone, I’m excited to help plan all of y’alls’ O-Week, it is one of my favorite memories of my Rice experience so far.

I am majoring in Computational and Applied Math and Managerial Studies, but I definitely didn’t follow a conventional path when deciding my major. I entered Rice thinking I would major in chemistry, but ultimately was pretty undecided. As a matter of fact, I spent my first two years completing my general university requirements and taking any and every elective possible. From taking courses in computer science and physics to courses in film and history, Rice truly gave me the freedom to explore so many programs. After changing my major 5+ times (I think if you asked anyone they’d give you a different answer to what I’m majoring in), I eventually found courses that I loved in the math, economics and psychology departments. No matter what major I ended up pursuing, Rice and Brown remained very supportive of me and that made a world of a difference!

Outside of my academics, you can typically catch me playing on any of Brown’s Intramural teams (Powderpuff, Co-ed Flag, and Softball are definitely my favorites) or playing with the Rice Women’s Club Soccer team. Sports have always been a huge part of my life, and the teams have provided a great sense of community at Rice. You will soon learn that Brown has a fantastic energy of friendly competition, allowing everyone to try any sport regardless of previous experience! These experiences have only grown with my involvement in the college government as a New Student Representative and cross-campus involvements serving as a Peer Career Advisor and an IMPACT staffer. Outside of that, you can find me longboarding around campus, hanging out with my friends at Rice’s Coffeehouse, binging Netflix and Hulu shows (Modern Family, Parks and Rec, and Schitt’s Creek are notable favorites), and exploring Houston’s coffee shops and museums using the Metro System! Being a Rice student and member of Brown College has been an incredible experience full of ups and downs for me. The students at Rice are thoughtful, engaging, and incredibly smart, and I personally would not have grown the ways I have over the past two years without the incredible community I am surrounded by. I decided to become a Coord to help welcome you to the inclusive communities that Rice and Brown are. Rice truly has allowed me to be adventurous in every meaning of the word, and has provided me with some of the closest friends and best experiences I’ve ever had! I’m beyond excited to welcome you to Brown College and can’t wait to spend the next two years with y’all!

Kartik Reddy

Senior

Kinesiology (Sports Medicine)

Minor in Biochemistry and Cell Biology

Dallas, TX

Howdy y’all! My name is Kartik and I’m a rising senior from Dallas, Texas. I’m a Kinesiology major with a minor in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. I check off all the regular pre-med boxes; I do research in the medical center, I’m a part of way too many health-related organizations on campus, and I’m constantly giving you advice on how to live a healthier lifestyle while simultaneously not adhering to any of the advice myself. Some of my favorite things outside of academics include watching and playing soccer (Viva Barca!), rewatching any and all comic book movies, playing Fifa, and generally boolin’ with whatever bad idea of mine I’ve become overly attached to this week. I rarely spend any time in my dorm room so you can find me on campus chilling in the grass outside Brochstein Pavilion, hanging out with my friends at Sammy’s, or yelling at most Rice Sporting events.

I’ve advised at Brown the last two years and with this being the fourth straight O-week that I’ve been involved in during my time at Rice, it’s clear that O-week’s have been a big part of my Rice experience. Every year, this week reminds me of the incredible community that Rice provides to its new students. The relationships I’ve built through my personal O-week experience have lasted me far beyond just my first year and will certainly last far beyond my time at Rice. As you begin your journey in this incredible place, I urge you to keep an open mind and let your true self guide you as you explore the countless opportunities you’ll have here.

As your Coordinator, Kamil, Maddie, and I are tasked with making your transition to college life as smooth as possible. If there’s anything you ever need help with, I hope you never hesitate to ask! I can’t wait to meet you all in the Fall and welcome you to Brown College and Rice University. Go Owls!

Kamil Cook

Junior

History

Somerset, KY

Hey y’all, my name is Kamil Cook and I’m a rising junior (Class of 2022) here at Brown College! I’m originally from a small town in southeastern Kentucky called Somerset (which I never stop talking about), but I’ve had family in Houston all my life so here at Rice I feel like I’m at home. Moving from a small town to Houston has been incredible. There is a place here for anything that you want to do. Concerts? We’ve got Astroworld. Food? We’ve got the best Vietnamese food in America. Community? Houston is the most diverse city in the country.

Here at Rice, I’m studying History and learning Arabic and once you meet me, it won’t take long for you to find out why. I’m a history nerd that often goes into Wikipedia spirals that can last hours. On the weekends, if I’m not in Fondy or at the rec fields playing IM soccer, I’m chilling at my Grandma’s house studying Arabic and eating (mostly eating, though). While I love learning in my classes, I’ve learned the most from my time at the Center for Civic Leadership. Whether it’s learning about water justice in New Mexico or empowering communities in Houston, the CCL has combined my passion for history with my love for helping others today.

When I’m not in class, you’ll either find me listening to music (Habibi Funk, Lee Morgan, and Playboi Carti are all personal favorites), hanging out with my friends, or working on a project I want to host at Rice. On the weekends I love exploring Houston with my friends, that exploration could take us anywhere from a Palestinian ice cream shop (Booza), to 99 Ranch, to House of Pies down the road (a must).

If it weren’t for O-Week, my time at Rice probably would look incredibly different. I love the floor I was placed on (2nd floor, baby) and the roommate I was placed with. In fact, my closest group of friends at Rice all came from 2nd floor and this upcoming year, we are all planning on living in a house together off-campus. Because of O-Week, I was able to meet a ton of different people at Brown (and Rice) that I would have likely not met otherwise. I advised here at Brown last year (shoutout FOP) and had an incredible time meeting and getting close to new students and my fellow advisors. I hope that RodeO-Week will help you know that you have a place here!