Peer Academic Advisors (PAAs)

Serving as liaisons for the Office of Academic Advising, PAAs are students at each college that have been broadly trained in numerous areas of academics here at Rice.  Generally speaking, your college PAA team coordinates numerous group and individual activities that attempt to strengthen the academic vitality of your residential college. You may find yourself seeking the advice of a PAA about:

  • General graduation requirements

  • Specific classes

  • Research opportunities

  • Studying abroad

  • Professional school requirements

  • Or any topic as it relates to academics

Remember, even if a particular PAA cannot answer each and every one of your detailed questions, they can at least serve as a helpful resource to point you in the right direction of someone else that can.  As you become more familiar with academics here at Rice, we hope you begin to understand that academics, learning, and especially advising are all ongoing dynamic conversations that involve multiple perspectives and not just a prescription for registrations.

For more information, visit http://oaa.rice.edu/.

Head PAAs

Prasi Desai | Class of 2027 | pd58@rice.edu
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Anastasia Loiko | Class of 2027 | akl7​​​​​​​@rice.edu
Neuroscience, Mathematics; Pre-Med

Charlotte Tompkins | Class of 2028 | ct85​​​@rice.edu
Chemistry; Classical Studies minor; Pre-Med

O-Week PAAs

Alvin Htoot | Class of 2029 | ah286@rice.edu
Bioengineering; Pre-Grad

Kate Kim | Class of 2029 | kk160@rice.edu
English; Politics, Law, and Social Thought minor; Pre-Law

Dheekksha Senthilkumar Rajeswari | Class of 2029 | ds228@rice.edu
Neuroscience, English; Medical Humanities minor; Pre-Med

Year-Long PAAs (Includes O-Week PAAs)

Find all of Sid’s Academic Fellows below! Please note that many Academic Fellows pursue interdisciplinary studies across multiple majors, minors, and/or certificates. PAAs have only been put under the school of study corresponding to their first listed major, but feel free to look across schools for minors, certificates, and PAAs with cross-disciplinary pursuits!

  • Nicole Lee | Class of 2028 | nl73@rice.edu

    Architecture, Art History; Environmental Studies minor

  • Prasi Desai | Class of 2027 | pd58@rice.edu

    Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

    Van Do | Class of 2028 | vd35@rice.edu

    Electrical and Computer Engineering; Engineering Design minor

    Alvin Htoot | Class of 2029 | ah286@rice.edu

    Bioengineering; Pre-Grad

    Rishabh Rengarajan | Class of 2029 | rr150@rice.edu

    Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computational and Applied Mathematics; Pre-Grad

  • Kate Kim | Class of 2029 | kk160@rice.edu

    English; Politics, Law, and Social Thought minor; Pre-Law

  • Zali Akiba | Class of 2028 | za27@rice.edu

    Biosciences; Data Science minor; Pre-Med

    Alissa Ferguson | Class of 2027 | adf5@rice.edu

    Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science; Pre-Grad

    Anish Jonalagadda | Class of 2028 | aj118@rice.edu

    Biosciences, Art; Pre-Med

    Anastasia Loiko | Class of 2027 | akl7​​​​​​​@rice.edu

    Neuroscience, Mathematics; Pre-Med

    Julia Nichols | Class of 2028 | jn72@rice.edu

    Biosciences; Pre-Med

    Lynette Ochoa | Class of 2027 | lo18@rice.edu

    Biosciences; Art History minor; Certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication - Spanish; Pre-Med, Pre-Grad

    Eva Qiao | Class of 2028 | eq5@rice.edu

    Chemistry; Pre-Grad

    Dheekksha Senthilkumar Rajeswari | Class of 2029 | ds228@rice.edu

    Neuroscience, English; Medical Humanities minor; Pre-Med

    Laylee Taghizadeh | Class of 2029 | lt65@rice.edu

    Biosciences; Medical Humanities minor; Certificate in Language and Intercultural Communication - Spanish; Pre-Med

    Charlotte Tompkins | Class of 2028 | ct85​​​@rice.edu

    Chemistry; Classical Studies minor; Pre-Med

    Dorothy Zheng | Class of 2029 | dz62@rice.edu

    Biosciences; Medical Humanities minor; Pre-Med

  • Meera Priyan | Class of 2028 | mp160@rice.edu

    Mathematical Economic Analysis; Operations Research minor; Pre-Grad

To learn more or schedule a meeting, access the PAA Master Spreadsheet here.

Peer Career Advisors (PCAs)

Peer Career Advisors (PCAs) are a group of student volunteers who are selected through an application and interview process. They serve as ambassadors to undergraduates and play a valuable role in supporting the Center for Career Development. PCAs reinforce the knowledge, skills, and resources offered through the CCD. PCAs are specially trained to assist you with the following topics:

  • Resume and cover letter reviews

  • Job and internship search basics

  • Interview Prep, Elevator Pitches, LinkedIn Profiles

  • Using our online resources (12twenty, Optimal Resume, Vault, etc.)

  • Understanding CCD services

Each residential college is represented, so PCAs are easily accessible and available to answer your questions in person or through email. 

  • Zoé Gupton (zg30)

    Neel Mallipeddi (nam12)

    Devan Sanka (ds181)

    Chloé Serna (cms33)

2024-2025 Academic Fellows

The Sid Academic Fellows are a group of upperclassmen dedicated to fostering academic excellence and an intellectual environment within our college. We provide free academic assistance on a regular basis through review sessions, "office hours" in the Sid commons, and individual tutoring by request. We aim to be accessible, knowledgeable, and approachable to enhance the academic life here at Sid. 

Unlike the PAAs, Fellows do not specialize in academic advising, meaning they are not generally experts on class selection or scheduling. Rather, the Academic Fellows are people who have taken and aced that difficult introductory course which keeps you up late on a Saturday night, and they want to help you succeed in it as well. Feel free to contact any of your Fellows whenever you may need them!

Find all of Sid’s Academic Fellows below! Please note that many Academic Fellows pursue interdisciplinary studies across multiple majors, minors, and/or certificates. Fellows have only been put under the school of study corresponding to their first listed major, but feel free to look across schools for minors, certificates, and Fellows with cross-disciplinary pursuits!