It is April 4, 2023, the first day of Moody X-Fest, and student leaders are describing their experiences working for social change to a crowd of Owls, faculty and mentors. A political science student shares how she implemented youth voter registration programs in Houston public high schools. A neuroscience major discusses her travels to Uganda, where she worked with an international health organization to support medically underserved people. Several other students showcase their work through the Center for Civic Leadership, which is supported by the Moody Experience.

A few days later, Jacob Devenny ’26 makes the most of his first career start for Rice baseball and leads off the game with a single. He’ll reach base three times, while four of his teammates combine for a pitching gem, allowing zero runs on two hits. The game is part of a weekend celebration, recognizing the support of the Moody Experience.

The following week, at Rice’s Ion innovation hub, a team of engineering students highlights a partnership with a spine surgeon who spends an inordinate amount of time adjusting lights. Their novel invention, an automated lighting system for the operating room, could cut the duration of his surgeries by 25%. The team — known as “Team OR Lights” — win top prize at the Engineering Design Showcase, part of the weeklong celebration of the Moody Experience.

Map each of these experiences across campus, mark them with an X, and then you’ll only begin to get a picture of what the Moody Experience means to Rice students. Thanks to generous funding from the Moody Foundation, students have exponentially more access to summer research, internships, civic leadership, advanced STEM preparation, athletics and wellness resources. Taken together, these opportunities offer an unrivaled extracurricular experience — i.e., the Moody Experience — that amplifies Rice’s reputation for educational excellence.

To celebrate the launch of the Moody Experience this past spring, undergraduate and graduate students were invited to Moody X-Fest, a 10-day, campuswide celebration consisting of the CCL Showcase, Rice baseball games, the Engineering Design Showcase and the Rice Undergraduate Research Symposium. The signature event was a food and music festival on April 7, when 1,500 Owls trekked through pouring rain to Tudor Fieldhouse to cheer on student music groups, including Basmati Beats, Mariachi Luna Llena and Rice Phils, as well as watch a headline performance by the rock band Grouplove.

In her brief remarks to students at the concert, Elle Moody ’14, a Rice trustee as well as a Moody Foundation trustee, underscored Rice’s impact on her own life and the significance of the gift.

“Some of my best experiences happened outside the classroom: training and competing with the track team, taking part in the various clubs and college activities and studying abroad,” Elle said. “That is what this gift is about … We want to help you explore your interests, to encounter and interact with new ideas, to enrich both your lives and the lives of others.”

With additional remarks from President DesRoches, as well as the Student Association President Solomon Ni ’25 and Graduate Student Association President Dhiraj Jain, the festival was a chance to learn about the Moody Foundation’s generosity and an opportunity to gather as a student body.

Arnav Garyali ’24, a business major on the pre-med track, felt Moody X-Fest captured the essence of Rice. “Rice does a great job of bringing about a different part of me,” Garyali explained. “Obviously, there's the academic side of me, but this kind of festival displays the community of Rice … a community of unity. Wherever you are, you will always feel like you're part of it.”

For Rice Provost Amy Dittmar, the event represents a compelling inflection point for the student experience at Rice, one that she hopes will be part of a new tradition, informed by students.

“This event underscores for students the tremendous support they are receiving from the Rice community,” Dittmar said. “As we continue to grow our student body, these kinds of experiences will be vital to attracting and supporting the best students, who crave opportunities to solve problems, produce big ideas and develop their leadership skills. The Moody Experience ensures all students can engage inside and outside the classroom to thrive at Rice, and the event highlights and celebrates these opportunities.”

Combined with Rice’s historic financial aid policy, The Rice Investment, the Moody Foundation’s gift highlights a key focal point for the university — making educational opportunities available to students from limited means and reducing barriers to educational achievement.

To learn more about the transformational gift behind the Moody Experience, visit moodyexperience.rice.edu.