Lilie Leads

The Lilie Leads Team

Our Lilie Leads are exceptional students dedicated to activating the entrepreneurial ecosystem at Rice. These students have been involved in Lilie and broader entrepreneurial programming on campus, and are committed to developing, launching, and executing resources and programs for Rice founders.

These 6 students work alongside Lilie staff and faculty on a variety of projects and operations for Rice’s entrepreneurship initiatives. Through efforts towards events and programs including Lilie Launchpad, career treks, facilitating grant and funding opportunities, engaging Rice clubs and community partners, and much more, these change-makers are making a meaningful impact on campus and beyond.

The 2021-2022 Lilie Leads

Ananda Nandigam

Biochemistry & Cell Biology 2023

Hanszen College

Campus Involvement

Co-president of Rice Empower, a club dedicated to motivating and assisting underprivileged high school students with applying to higher education and exploring challenging STEM fields. Organic Chemistry I & II, Hanszen Academic Fellow.

Why did you want to be a Lilie Lead?

“My high school curriculum encouraged entrepreneurship within the students, so I was able to find and cultivate my own passion for entrepreneurship very early. With my experience and love for it, I want to introduce entrepreneurship to other curious minds at Rice who did not have that environment for two reasons: one, participating in entrepreneurial ventures teaches us an extraordinary amount of lessons applicable to personal and professional lives, and second, without the encouragement, students may miss out on participating due to the ‘intimidation’ of entrepreneurship.”

What do you want to do after graduation?

“I am hoping to enter medical school and earn an MD”

Chloe Livingston

Economics 2023

Wiess College

Campus Involvement

Design for America, PAIR (Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees), Peer Career Advisors

Why did you want to be a Lilie Lead?

“I took Design Thinking the first semester of my freshman year and have been a fan of Lilie ever since!”

What do you want to do after graduation?

“Get my MBA and run my own business!”

Christa Westheimer

Sports Management and Managerial Studies 2023

McMurtry College

Campus Involvement

4Words, the Center for Civic Leadership, Rice Ventures, the Doerr Institute for New Leaders, InterVarsity Christian Ministries, McMurtry College

Why did you want to be a Lilie Lead?

“I LOVE LILIE! I love everything about Lilie – the incredible faculty and staff, the informative classes, the events, the network, the Lab. Plain and simple – if I hadn’t been introduced to Lilie and all of its offerings during my freshman year, I would be on a completely different path (far away from all things entrepreneurship)… and let’s be honest, that path would have been far less fun! Because of how impactful Lilie has been on my life, I want to uplift and amplify its impact for other Rice students and community members.”

What do you want to do after graduation?

“The dream is to found an impact-based startup! However, I never want to start a company just for the sake of starting it. So, if I don’t find a problem that keeps me up at night between now and graduation, I’d like to pursue venture capital with the hopes of diving deeper into the exciting ecosystem of entrepreneurship.”

JaShon Palmer

Economics 2023

Lovett College

Campus Involvement

Undergraduate Investment Fund, Finance Club, Rice Football Team, Rice Student Volunteer Program

Why did you want to be a Lilie Lead?

“I wanted to join Lilie Leads to learn from great, knowledgeable leaders and team up with the same leaders to lead numerous projects across campus. I will be able to assist others using my background in financial technology, entrepreneurship, and blockchain. Not only will I be able to help others, but I will be able to grow and develop as an entrepreneur myself. Hence, I wanted to be a part of the Lilie team to combine my ideas with a like-minded group to provide other Rice students across campus with entrepreneurial skills to prepare them to be the future innovators in this world in any industry selected.”

What do you want to do after graduation?

“After graduation, I would like to achieve a career in investment banking. My ultimate goal is to one day start my own investment firm.”

Ron Underwood

Computer Science 2024

Jones College

Campus Involvement

Rice Ventures External Relations Director, AWS University Scout, GenZScouts VC Fellow, HackRice Publicity and Registration Chair, Jones College Socials Committee Head

Why did you want to be a Lilie Lead?

“I think the Leads position is the absolute best way to impact and grow the entrepreneurship community at Rice and around the larger surrounding Houston area. Through the position, I hope to encourage and support as many student entrepreneurs as possible!”

What do you want to do after graduation?

“Found my own startup”

Shreyah Mohanselvan

Computer Science 2022

Duncan College

Campus Involvement

Rice Riyaaz, Rice Design, Duncan Government

Why did you want to be a Lilie Lead?

“As a senior, I’m looking for ways to give back to Rice and support the student population as I have found so much support at Rice! Lilie has provided me with many resources, and I have learned so much from those involved with Lilie. I want to now help support programming and growth at Lilie.”

What do you want to do after graduation?

“Work in tech, hopefully one day as a PM”