2014 rep announced

By Kaleb Underwood     10/6/10 7:00pm

Jones College freshman Stephanie Tzouanas has been selected by the Rice Centennial Commission to represent the class of 2014 in the planning of Rice's Centennial Celebration that will take place Oct. 10-14, 2012. "I was definitely ecstatic and thrilled," Tzouanas said. "I am incredibly honored to have been chosen."

Tzouanas will serve on the commission through the Centennial Celebration in 2012. Her responsibilities as a member of the commission will center around planning the events of the four-day celebration. The commission is responsible for providing broad direction and creating ideas, serving as a link to the Rice community and promoting enthusiasm among the constituents they represent, Centennial Director Kathleen Boyd Fossi (Jones '80) said.

The Centennial Celebration will be both a commemoration of Rice history and the accomplishments of the university to date as well as time to look into the future. The working theme for the year 2012 is "The Next Hundred Years," in order to echo Edgar Odell Lovett's vision of 1912 and to symbolize that Rice is again embarking on a journey, Fossi said.

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Student representation on the committee is reserved for the classes that will be at Rice through the centennial: two undergraduates representing the classes of 2013 and 2014, respectively, as well as one graduate student. The Student Association and Graduate Student Association presidents also serve during their tenure.

SA President Selim Sheikh nominated three finalists to the Centennial Commission after receiving 17 applications from members of the freshman class. Fossi said all three finalists were well-qualified to represent the student perspective, had experience planning events in high school and had already gotten involved at Rice, but Tzouanas stood out.

"We are thrilled to have Stephanie," Fossi said. "We were blown away by her CV and she brings many talents to the Centennial Commission."

Tzouanas, who is planning to major in bioengineering, heard about the opportunity at the first SA Senate meeting of this year. She discussed various options for getting involved around campus with Jones SA Senator Steven Boswell prior to applying. Since she had a strong desire to get involved in student affairs, she went ahead and applied.

"I was really interested in representing the class of 2014 because I thought it was a really historic opportunity to commemorate what Rice has done in its first 100 years and to capture all of the exciting promise that Rice has in its next 100 years," she said.

"She realized that it would be very competitive, but she seemed very interested. Personally, I am very glad it's her; she wants to be very involved," Boswell, a Jones College junior, said.

Before applying for the position she took time to research the history of Rice, especially the formal opening ceremonies in 1912 and the semi-Centennial Celebration in 1962.

"It's fascinating to see how the university has grown and developed over time to how it is today," she said. "All of my reading got me really excited."

Student opinion will be integral in planning the events of the centennial, Fossi said. Among other things, the commission wants to choose lecturers that students will want to go listen to and give students an opportunity to interact with the dignitaries and scholars who will be in attendance, she said.

"We clearly recognize that the students are the most important part of the centennial," Fossi said. "We hope that students will carry the memories [of the celebration] with them throughout their lives.

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