Hey, New Students!

Congrats on winning the lottery and joining Duncan - THE best college on campus. We are so excited that you will be part of our family. We can’t wait to meet you, learn about your interests, support your goals, and help you feel at home! You can expect to see us around regularly in the Commons, at Forum, in the quad, and at every event. The Magisters serve as official representatives of the College at the University level, but our most important job is to get to know you and to serve as your mentors, sounding boards, resources, and friends.It turns out that we have first-hand experience in your shoes — we both first walked through the Sallyport on matriculation day in 1997. We were members of some of those other colleges (waving hands toward the south part of campus) where we fell in love with Rice and (cheesy but true) each other. [Fun fact: O-Week brought us together!] After growing up in Dallas (yes, a Cowboys fan), Winston majored in biochemistry and flag football (but also rowed crew and played in a band). Eden has no hometown (having lived in TX, SC, NC, CA, GA, TX, VA, and TX again) but majored in psychology (and joined half of the organizations on cam- pus). Winston now puts his medical and public health degrees to good use as a family doctor and Chair of Health Systems and Population Health Sciences at the University of Houston, College of Medicine. Eden is a professor of industrial-organizational psychology at Rice, studying and teaching about the ways that diversity and inclusion can be strengthened in the workplace. Our two daughters, Maezie (11) and Margot (6), are also excited to meet you. Like us, they love sports, baking, reading, making and dancing to music, going to concerts, and Rice.Our hearts are full with joyful anticipation of your arrival and with warm thoughts of the community we will build together. We can’t wait to welcome you to Duncan!!

DuncLove,
Eden & Winston

Hello and welcome new Duncaroos!

I’m Kate and I’m sort of new too. I was a Duncaroo myself as a Rice undergraduate (Class of 2011), but this is my second year as an RA, so we’ll be learning all the latest ins and outs of Duncan together. As an undergrad, I majored in English and Religious Studies (ahem, after switching majors three times, but trying out different classes and interests is what college is all about!).

I work over in alumni relations where I host a podcast called “Beyond the Hedges,” which features Rice’s amazing professors talking about the research they’re doing, so I can definitely let you know the most interesting professors around campus (pro tip: it’s most of them). While working with professors is such a highlight, I have to admit that the best part of my job is having access to a golf cart, so don’t be surprised if you hear me shouting your name when I’m cruising around campus between classes – I might even give you a lift if we’re headed in the same direction!When I’m not in the alumni office, I’m usually relaxing by cooking, watching TV, and checking in on all the dogs I follow on Instagram – hopefully I’ll have a pup of my own by the time you arrive. The only other thing you need to know about me is that I’m a Dolly Parton superfan, which is something that you would’ve probably learned about me pretty quickly even if I hadn’t told you. I can’t wait to meet you! Welcome to Duncan!

DuncLove,
Kate

Hello!

We’re Ian and Allison and we’re so excited to welcome you to Duncan! Before moving to Houston, we actually attended the same high school in Connecticut. We even went to prom together, and have awkward photos to prove it. Allison attended Emerson College, went on to do Teach for America, and then earned her Masters from Harvard in Education. Ian attended Tufts University and received his MFA from the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston. Ian currently teaches creative writing and podcasting in the English department at Rice and Allison works for Khan Academy. When we’re not at work, we love to play basketball and go fishing (Ian), do yoga and cook (Allison), eat way too much (both of us), travel, go to the beach, and hang out with our adventurous6-year-old, Owen. Owen loves riding his bike, splashing in the DuncTank, and playing with students in the quad.

We live on the third floor and are looking forward to hosting many study breaks for you in the coming years. We can’t wait to meet you all!

DuncLove,
Ian & Allison

Hi Duncaroos!

We are Mack and Jamil Joyner, your Resident Faculty Associates. We are excited to begin our 3rd year as your first floor RAs at Duncan. Our love story started freshman year at Rice. Mack was at Sid and Jamil was at Jones. Our first dance together was at Lovett and our first kiss (ewww) was at Brown. After dating for 6 years, we got married (finally!) in 2004. Mack is originally from Kansas City, KS. He received his BS, MS, and PhD in Computer Science from Rice.

He teaches in the Computer Science department. He has a borderline unhealthy obsession with Boba tea and loves to host Boba study breaks. He is learning to be less competitive when playing games like basketball and Monopoly. He is a proud fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and he insists that KC has the best BBQ. Jamil is a native Houstonian. She received her BA in Sociology from Rice, an MD from Baylor College of Medicine, and an MBA from Rice. She works as a Pediatrician at one of Texas Children’s Hospital’s outpatient clinics. She also enjoys real estate on the side. She loves learning which has proven to be an expensive hobby. She also likes to garden and can not wait for you to enjoy the new Duncan garden. We hope you enjoy our study breaks.

We also have 3 boys. Kaleab is 10. He likes soccer, basketball, and building random weapons using empty cereal boxes, duct tape, and rubber bands. Kaleab is also an expert at changing the topic to something that he is interested in. You have been warned. Liam is 5. He is super strong for his age. He loves dance time, drawing, and eating Cheetos while playing board games at The Teahouse. Elijah is 4. However, we still call him “baby”. He likes to give his mom a hug, turn towards Mack, and give him a smirk that says, “I’m the favorite now”. The whole Joyner family is super excited about O-Week and getting a chance to meet you.

DuncLove,
Mack & Jamil

Hi Duncaroos!

I’m Kate and I am the college coordinator for Duncan. I’ve worked at Rice since the Fall of 2021, although as the daughter of two academics, one of whom taught at Rice many years ago, this university has been a part of my life for much longer than that. I live here in Houston with my fiance Will and my dog Pepper. You’ll likely see both of them around campus from time to time. I love to travel, read, and explore the amazing selection of food in Houston. My academic interests are VERY interdisciplinary, so in college I studied communications, web design, history, biology, psychology, Italian, Latin, and Russian. I’ve worked for Apple, a hair salon, a fin-tech startup, an IT research and consulting firm, and more, but my passion is in higher education. If you ever want to chat about any of those things, dogs, your troubles, your dreams, or anything else really, my door is metaphorically always open (but I will be in my office from 9-5ish). I’m so excited to meet all of you and I feel privileged to be part of the team that supports you during your college career. I can’t wait to get to know each and every one of you over the next four years.

During your time at Rice and at Duncan College, my biggest hope is that in addition to earning your degree and learning as much as you can, you get to know yourself better. I know that when you start college, there can be a lot of pressure to figure out exactly what you want to do with your life and how you’re going to get there. My advice is to ignore that feeling that you have to have everything figured out. College is the perfect time to explore your interests, so take that class on a subject totally unrelated to your major, join a club that’s just fun, play an intramural sport, study abroad in a country you’ve always wanted to visit, or whatever it is that makes you happy and sparks your curiosity. Focus on the people, places, and things that bring you joy and help you grow. There’s plenty of time to figure out what you want to be when you grow up :)

Welcome to the Duncan family,
Kate