A letter from Assistant Dean Abbey Godley
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Dear Rice Social Sciences Professional Master’s Alumni, Students, and Friends,
After a summer of planning and preparing, we are happy to have our new and returning professional master’s students back for what promises to be another productive academic year, which includes the first year of the Master of Computational Economics. With master’s and graduate certificate options available, we look forward to watching this program grow in the coming years.
In other exciting news, thanks to a generous grant from the Houston Endowment, Master of Social Policy Evaluation students now have three fellowship opportunities to support their studies. If you know of anyone who may be interested in applying for the Fall 2027 semester, I encourage you to send them this information.
I invite you to read the stories below about our students, faculty, and alumni who are making waves in and outside the classroom. As always, please reach out to Mecia Emale to learn about ways to engage with our students and foster connections that help them on their professional paths.
Sincerely,
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Abbey Godley
Assistant Dean for Student Programs, Rice University School of Social Sciences
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My first supervisor gave me a piece of career advice that has stuck with me: “The best time to look for a job is when you’re happy in one.” When you’re happy where you are, you have the luxury of being thoughtful about what comes next. You can explore an interesting opportunity because it excites you, not because you need an escape route.
But there’s another side to that advice that feels especially relevant right now: we don’t always get to choose when we need to look. Even when things are going well, you can still find yourself unexpectedly navigating a layoff, reorganization, funding change, or other shift outside of your control.
I recently read an article on LinkedIn News, How to Succeed in a Competitive Job Market in 2026, and it reinforced something I often tell students and alumni: pay attention to the market even when you aren’t planning to go anywhere. Sometimes looking is simply how you keep a pulse on your industry and understand how your experience fits into it.
There are a few other things worth doing before you need them:
Keep the receipts: Save the email where someone praised your work. Write down the results of a successful project while the numbers are still fresh. Keep track of new responsibilities, presentations, awards, major projects, and other wins. Those details are much easier to capture now than reconstruct later.
Don’t let your resume get too far behind: Keep a master version and add accomplishments as they happen. If you unexpectedly need it, most of the hard work is already done.
Stay connected when you don’t need anything: Networking is a lot easier when there isn’t an immediate ask attached. Keep in touch with former classmates, colleagues, mentors, and supervisors. Talk to people doing interesting work. If you eventually do need your network, you won’t be reaching out for the first time in three years.
Know what you would want next: Staying ready isn’t only about being prepared for the worst. It also puts you in a better position when something good comes along. What would make you leave a job you genuinely like? More responsibility? Different work? Better compensation? A particular organization or industry? You can be much more selective when you’ve thought about those things before an opportunity is sitting in front of you.
Hopefully, the next time you pull out your resume, it’s because an opportunity you’re excited about came along. But careers don't always unfold on our timeline. Either way, having done some of the work on the front end puts you in a much better position to navigate whatever comes next.
Mecia Emale
Assistant Director for Employer Relations and Professional Development, Rice University School of Social Sciences
memale@rice.edu
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An exciting start for Rice master's students
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Last month, Rice University welcomed students from all over, including MSPE student Amalia Simmons, during the first campus-wide master’s orientation. “Being in this new city, in such a big place, I’m excited to see what has to come for me” - Amalia Simmons / Photo: Rice GPS
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Poli sci alum/current MGA student featured in alumni article
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MGA student Luisa Tolda '25 started at Rice as a political science major. Tolda is now an MGA student, on track to graduate in 2027. "I’m learning a lot about the international system, and the political science major delved deeply into global politics, so I feel like I came into the program with a solid foundation.” - Luisa Tolda
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MEECON students in full force at CERAWeek 2026
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Several MEECON students served as student ambassadors at CERAWeek 2026. Joining 10,000+ global leaders, ministers, and innovators, the students took advantage of premium networking opportunities and engaged with the ideas and partnerships shaping the future of the industry.
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Medlock featured in the NYT on various topics
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Jones featured in NYT during Texas primary elections
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Advanced degree recipients celebrated in May
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Many of our newest professional master's graduates were spotted at the joyous May commencement ceremony for advanced degree students in May, including Trae Broadnax, MGA. “To be able to go to school, get to finish my college career with two degrees and a master’s degree from a really prestigious university — I feel really accomplished.”-Trae Broadnax '26
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MEECON graduates honored with Rise Awards
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Last spring, three recent graduates received MEECON Rise Awards. Natalia Castaño-Morales '25 received the MEECON Award for Scholarly Excellence, and Blake Springer '25 and Brandon García '25 received the Byron Pope Award. These standout individuals were recognized for their hard work and dedication during their time in the MEECON program.
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KPF: Kudos, Felicitations, and Props!
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MEECON
🎉 Shatha Alnaji '18 was promoted to the Corporate Sustainability Department at Aramco.
🎉 Rixck Barsi-Giah '16 was promoted to Vice President for Upstream Operations at National Oil Company of Liberia — NOCAL.
🎉 Sastya Dayu R. '19 was promoted to Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis at DT Midstream.
🎉 Jose Miguel Dorival '22 was promoted to Corporate Reserves Manager at BW Energy.
🎉 Faustine Jean-Louis '18 started a new position as Art Market Economist at Apotheosis Advisory.
🎉 Dajin (Jeanie) Jeong '21 started a new position as Data Analyst at LG Electronics North America.
🎉 Eric (WooKwan) Kim '19 started a new position as Director at de:hum.
🎉 Eric S. Namtvedt '18 started a new position as Senior Supply Chain Coordinator at TGS.
🎉 Jesus Rodriguez '22 was promoted to Executive Vice President, Global Data Centers at Ingeteam and became a Founding Member and Board Member at AFCOM.
🎉 Viraj Sawant '16 started a new position as Air Pollution Specialist at California Air Resources Board.
🎉 Trim Ternava '23 started a new position as Chief Executive Officer at KOSTT.
MGA
🎉 Emile Chamoun-Farah '23 began doctoral studies in Higher Education Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin.
🎉 Melissa C. '20 started a new position as Research Consultant at Russell Reynolds Associates.
🎉 Lucy D. '17 started a new position as Business Analyst at United Airlines.
🎉 Scott Filip '19 was promoted as Mitigation and Preparedness Manager at The University of Texas at Austin.
🎉 James Galan '26 started a new position as TMD / Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst at Texas Cyber Command and began doctoral studies in Intelligence, Defense and Cyber Policy at Augusta University.
🎉 Maryam Hassan '22 was promoted to Global Strategic Client Advisor at Laurel.
🎉 Beau Holder '18 started a new position as Public Relations Director at HAUS.
🎉 Christian Hsu '26 started a new position as Research Analyst at Voir Dire International, LLC.
🎉 Byron LeFlore '24 was promoted to Legislative Correspondent at the U.S. House of Representatives.
🎉 Anna L. '25 started a new position as Research Assistant at New York University School of Law.
🎉 Jie Ma '22 started a new position as Algorithm Instructor and Full-Stack Developer X-Camp Academy.
🎉 Kevin Markowski '18 started a new position as Member at Bush & Ramirez, PLLC.
🎉 Ana Martín Gil '21 started a new position as Rising Expert in Migration Policy at YPFP (Young Professionals in Foreign Policy).
🎉 Geovanny M. '27 started a new position as Safety Manager at Production Equipment Company of South Texas, Inc.
🎉 Joyce Olewe '19 started a new position as Co-Founder at African Carbon Exchange.
🎉 Hawa Patel '20 started a new position as Strategic Account Manager at LRQA.
🎉 Danica Petrovic '27 started a new position as Research Intern at the Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies (CES).
🎉 Vivian Phillips '26 started a new position as News Associate at CNN.
🎉 Charlie Rojas '26 started a new position as Public and Government Affairs Intern at ExxonMobil.
🎉 Chris Sayan '22 started a new position as Legislative Assistant at Senate of Puerto Rico.
🎉 Rafael E. Struve '19 started a new position as Director of Communications at the U.S. House of Representatives.
🎉 Emmanuel Tilias '24 began master’s studies in Law at Texas Southern University.
🎉 Justin T. '23 began service as Media & Public Affairs Plans Officer, Joint Task Force - Southern Border Headquarters for the U.S. Northern Command.
🎉 Nathaniel Uy '26 began doctoral studies in Political Science and Government at Cornell University.
🎉 Anne-Marie Weese '20 began service as Military Officer in the U.S. Navy.
MSPE
🎉 Jazzlyn Levigne Mayon '25 started a new position as Associate, Data Analytics at Good Reason Houston.
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Let us share in your successes!
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Our alumni network is growing, and we want to keep in touch and hear from you! Whether you just graduated last year or graduated in our first cohorts, please self-nominate or nominate a classmate to be featured in an upcoming alumni newsletter or other type of communications. There are plenty of ways to acknowledge the many ways our alumni are impacting the world around us.
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