Dara is the nerd, Natalia is the hottie, Jacob is the jock, and we love ourselves. We wish that it was that simple. Although Dara’s I.Q. is well above 200, Natalia has been known to socially make or break a person, and Jacob’s competitive edge and amazing physique has helped Lovett rise in the
rankings (did we mention we love ourselves?), the following is ‘la verdad.’ We are the Lovett 2006
coordinators, and we are the ones dedicating our summer to making your O-Week and first year at
Rice successful! In fact, we’ce been spending so much time together that we have become on
person. For this reason, we may somtimes refer to ourselves as ‘Jacadaranata,’ a masterpiece that
combines all three of our names. Between now and your arrival to school.
We will be the ones filling your mailboxes with information, and we are also the ones to call if
you have any questions. We selected the O-Week advising team, put together this book and even
picked your roommates. So what exactly makes us qualified to do this? Well, we loved O-Week, we love ourselves (hehe), and have dedicated most of our summer lives to making sure Y’ALL (that’s for all you non-Texans) have a great experience.
So, let us introduce ourselves...
Hailing from the ‘hood’ of Sugar Land, Texas, Natalia Vasco Olivares Benjumea
Rojas is seeking out her roots in Colombia this summer while pining away for all of you to
get here. Otherwise known as Natalie, Tubso by her little brother, and Wadlet by her best
friends, this junior Bioengineer is busy balancing fun and her friendly second home, Fondren
Library. Don’t think she’s got the future all figured out though, she’s gonna keep us guessing.
She may be a doctor, a lawyer, or helping the kids in Africa. Half the fun is hearing her plan of
the week. When she isn’t working hard (hardly working) you’ll find her swiping the plastic at
Urban Outfitters, gossiping with the girls, or enjoying all the good food Houston has to offer
(including Mama Vasco’s home cooking). In her free time she volunteers at Ben Taub Hospital as
a translator, feeds her cells in the lab - read: a very important, highly skilled job – and waitresses.
Don’t feel bad if you see this girl gimping around. She’s the one who tore her meniscus dancing
the nights away. I can promise you, she will make you feel the conga and will teach you how to
“move like you come from Colombia.”
Dara, the token cheerleader (la capitán), sprinkles her Lovett spirit everywhere she goes.
With a smile that beams more light than an Eclipse commercial, Dara blesses us with her expertise and passion. This little lady is a Texas native, calling Pflugerville (Austin suburb)
her home away from home. Dara can be found turning heads as she walks around campus
as a contender in the academic realm majoring in Sports Medicine and currently applying to
medical school. This Nigerian princess loves to shake it, swing it, pop it, and serve anybody
on the dance floor. The good thing about Dara is that she can pop out the Nigerian national
anthem when you least expect it. She’s always full of surprises. (Feces, anyone?) Also, just to
shake things up even further, she’s a self-proclaimed narcoleptic. So, if she falls asleep mid -
sentence don’t be offended. Her never-ending quest for enrichment also includes her spiritual
side. Her welcoming smile and friendly voice will greet you when you arrive at Lovett, but her
presence will be felt throughout your time at Rice.
Meet Jacob M. Lopez, (aka ‘Jaca’- the first part of ‘Jacadaranata’), who comes all the
way from Marion, Texas (a small rural town outside of San Antonio). For all of you non-Texans,
Jacob is your typical Texan, also known as a “Texican” (a word Jacob coined to encompass his
Mexican ancestry). This small town, ex-FFA (Future Farmers of America) member is not only onedimensional. For the first time in two years, Jacob won’t be frequenting the beaches of Mexico.
In exchange for living and working at a Mexican Resort in Acapulco, he has dutifully picked
up a job working for Cameron in Houston. Although the nightlife in Houston is a tad different
than that of a Mexican tourist town, Jacob still finds ways to have fun and get into trouble (he’s
living up the single life). However, he does plan to marry his favorite Spanish telenovela star
and lead singer of RBD, Anahi, from the hit show “Rebelde”. It has been said that Jacob was offered
the position to be lead singer of RBD. He turned it down to pursue his solo music career, which we
all know by the number of Jacob’s songs that are played on the radio is going absolutely NOWHERE.
Therefore, Jacob is now at Rice double-majoring in Anthropology and Policy Studies…maybe even
tripling in Political Science. During the school year you can find Jacob using his free time to work out, being a tutor/mentor/big brother for high school kids, or just wanting to share a story or two about his eventful life.
So you got the scoop on the three organizers of your first Orientation Week at Rice.
Read on for fun filled information about Rice,Lovett, your advisors, and the opportunities that
await you here. Try to soak it all in, there’s an exam on the first day (jk, haha, lol). Seriously, we look forward to seeing y’all in August!
