From the Field to the Future | Rice Football Players Tackle Engineering Leadership

For Rice University student-athletes Omari Porter, David Kasemervisz and Matthew Aribisala, football and engineering aren’t competing priorities — they’re complementary pursuits. Each came to Rice to push their limits both on the field and in the classroom, and each found a university uniquely equipped to help them do both.
“There aren’t many places where you can compete at a Division I level and also be at a high academic institution,” said Porter, a defensive back and first football player to graduate with a bioengineering degree from Stanford University. “Rice offers the best of both worlds.”
Porter and Kasemervisz, both former Stanford teammates, are now pursuing degrees in the Master of Engineering Management and Leadership (MEML) program from the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership at the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing. The program trains engineers to lead in the artificial intelligence-driven industrial revolution, combining advanced technical depth with the digital and human leadership skills required to manage technology innovation in a data-driven world.
“A lot of engineering curricula don’t go into economics or leadership skills,” said Kasemervisz, a wide receiver from Sugar Land whose mother graduated from Rice in 1999. He followed Porter as a student-athlete graduate from the same department at Stanford. “That’s what attracted me to MEML — it still gives me the opportunity to strengthen my technical skills while also teaching me how to be a technical leader who can bridge the gap between engineering and business management. This will be very beneficial to me later down the line.”
Aribisala, an offensive lineman who graduated from Sam Houston State University, is following a similar path in the MEML program. For him, Rice offered the rare opportunity to continue competing at a high level in football while joining a nationally recognized engineering program that aligns with his long-term goals in data and AI.
“I wanted a place that would challenge me academically and athletically,” Aribisala said. “At Rice, I’m surrounded by people who care deeply about both. The professors and coaches understand what we’re balancing — they want us to succeed in every way.”
That balance between ambition and opportunity is something Fred Higgs, vice provost for academic affairs and faculty director of the Center for Engineering Leadership, says is central to Rice’s mission — and part of what makes it such a strong fit for high-performing student-athletes.
“Student-athletes are forged through intensity, competition and teamwork,” Higgs said. “That makes them natural leaders, and that’s exactly who this program is built for. We’re developing the next generation of engineering manager-leaders who can drive innovation, manage engineering teams and lead with purpose.”
Higgs, who also serves as a professor of mechanical engineering with a joint appointment in bioengineering, said the MEML program is designed for engineers who want to grow into leadership roles without leaving their technical roots behind. It’s also built to accommodate engineering students with demanding schedules — like Division I athletes — who need flexibility alongside rigor.

“If you’re in the graduate transfer portal and you have aspirations to make it to the pros — whether in sports or in an engineering or computing career — where do you go? Your best shot would be to come to a place like Rice, which combines strong Division I athletics with a rigorous, prestigious engineering and computing program. It’s a university that helps student-athletes leverage their well-rounded stature into a leadership advantage in the global job market,” Higgs said.

“With several of our MEML professors having been former college athletes or recipients of Division I athletic scholarship offers, it’s hard to find a better match for engineering student-athletes than Rice University.”

The program’s success, he said, reflects Rice’s broader culture — one that values excellence in every field and encourages students to pursue their full potential.

“We’re living in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where technology, AI and data-driven leadership intersect,” Higgs said. “MEML was built to help students learn to lead engineering teams that bridge those worlds in this exciting time. And for student-athletes like Omari, David and Matthew, who already know what it means to manage their time, perform under pressure and work as a team, those lessons come naturally.”

“There’s not a lot of Rices out there for football players who want both,” Kasemervisz said. “For those who want difficult academics and a prestigious school, coming to Rice is really a no-brainer.”