A Happy Coincidence

Emily McGhee '22 had never taken a French class until an unplanned gap year before her freshman year at Rice sent her overseas. With another trip to France through Rice last summer, Emily has found her passion, unexpectedly.

When Emily McGhee '22 found out she had been accepted to Rice, there was a catch. She was accepted from the waitlist with the stipulation that she would have to matriculate one year later, with the class of 2022. It was well worth the wait for Emily, but as she put it, "I had no idea what I was going to do for that extra year." Before long, her high school physics teacher suggested she live with his sister's family in France.

"I lived with this great family in a tiny village called Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette, participating in their activities and interacting with their French friends. Three days a week, I would go by myself into the city to take classes to help me learn faster," Emily explains.

Immediately hooked by the language, Emily took French classes during her first year at Rice. With the help of the Rebecca Elnekave Cassel Endowed Scholarship, established by Nelly Murstein Ph.D. '60, Emily returned to France for a study abroad program in Arles last summer.

"In between classes and field trips to historical sites," Emily says, "there was time to explore the city on my own, which was possibly the most valuable part of the trip."

"I think that was the biggest effect it had on me: getting that feeling of belonging somewhere else and enjoying it so much that I'd like to pursue it in the future in different places."

Nelly Murstein's gift had a ripple effect on Emily. When in Arles, a Brazilian friend exposed Emily to the Portuguese language. "While I was having a great time practicing my French, I was hearing this new beautiful language I'd never heard before," she says, "I got so excited about learning more languages and traveling in the future that I realized this is really what I want to do, forever."

Now, Emily is certain her future will include living and working abroad. "The summer in France, it's kind of hard to put into words - it was definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without this scholarship."

If you would like to support study abroad programming - or other transformative educational opportunities at Rice - please contact our gift planning team at [email protected].