Photo by: Maria Lysaker - Rice Athletics
Francisco Named Military Bowl STEM Scholar-Athlete
12/13/2023 2:01:00 PM | Football
Presented by BuildSubmarines.com
WASHINGTON (December 13, 2023) – Rice running back Christian Francisco, a redshirt sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, has been named a Military Bowl STEM Scholar-Athlete presented by BuildSubmarines.com.
Francisco, who is from Rogers, Arkansas, holds a 3.96 grade point average and is on track to earn his undergraduate degree in three years. He has received the conference commissioner's academic medal and has been named to the conference honor in each of his first two years at Rice. Francisco also is a member of the Rice University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and serves as a peer academic advisor for teammates, tutoring them in math, science, and computer science.
While attending Rice, he worked as a logistics engineering intern at J.B. Hunt Transport, and his senior capstone project designed and created a bed-level exercise system for post-operative patients at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
"Christian Francisco is an outstanding example of everything a scholar-athlete should be," said Dr. Laura Schaefer, chair of Rice's Department of Mechanical Engineering. "The mechanical engineering curriculum is incredibly demanding, both in the depth and the breadth of courses required, and Christian has excelled in all of his classes, even managing to finish in fewer than four years. His technical knowledge in the classroom is very strong and he is a frequent and helpful part of class discussions.
"Christian has also shown himself to be a terrific leader for his peers, building teams and advocating for additional educational opportunities for other students. In summary, Christian Francisco is an intelligent, driven, creative student, with a talent for relating to other people on many levels. These are the qualities that will make him a strong and lasting leader throughout his career."
The Military Bowl STEM Scholar-Athlete Program honors one football player at each university that is a member of the ACC and the American Athletic Conference – the two conferences that are represented in the Military Bowl college football game. These players are studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects and/or aspire to STEM careers.
BuildSubmarines.com will donate to the general scholarship fund at each of the participating schools in the Military Bowl – Virginia Tech and Tulane – made in the name of the STEM Scholar-Athlete from that school. These two STEM Scholar-Athletes will be recognized at the Military Bowl presented by GoBowling.com, which takes place on Wednesday, Dec. 27 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ESPN.
Proceeds from the Bowl benefit Patriot Point, the Military Bowl Foundation's retreat for wounded, ill, and injured service members, their families, and caregivers.
Francisco, who is from Rogers, Arkansas, holds a 3.96 grade point average and is on track to earn his undergraduate degree in three years. He has received the conference commissioner's academic medal and has been named to the conference honor in each of his first two years at Rice. Francisco also is a member of the Rice University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and serves as a peer academic advisor for teammates, tutoring them in math, science, and computer science.
While attending Rice, he worked as a logistics engineering intern at J.B. Hunt Transport, and his senior capstone project designed and created a bed-level exercise system for post-operative patients at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
"Christian Francisco is an outstanding example of everything a scholar-athlete should be," said Dr. Laura Schaefer, chair of Rice's Department of Mechanical Engineering. "The mechanical engineering curriculum is incredibly demanding, both in the depth and the breadth of courses required, and Christian has excelled in all of his classes, even managing to finish in fewer than four years. His technical knowledge in the classroom is very strong and he is a frequent and helpful part of class discussions.
"Christian has also shown himself to be a terrific leader for his peers, building teams and advocating for additional educational opportunities for other students. In summary, Christian Francisco is an intelligent, driven, creative student, with a talent for relating to other people on many levels. These are the qualities that will make him a strong and lasting leader throughout his career."
The Military Bowl STEM Scholar-Athlete Program honors one football player at each university that is a member of the ACC and the American Athletic Conference – the two conferences that are represented in the Military Bowl college football game. These players are studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects and/or aspire to STEM careers.
BuildSubmarines.com will donate to the general scholarship fund at each of the participating schools in the Military Bowl – Virginia Tech and Tulane – made in the name of the STEM Scholar-Athlete from that school. These two STEM Scholar-Athletes will be recognized at the Military Bowl presented by GoBowling.com, which takes place on Wednesday, Dec. 27 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ESPN.
Proceeds from the Bowl benefit Patriot Point, the Military Bowl Foundation's retreat for wounded, ill, and injured service members, their families, and caregivers.
Players Mentioned
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