About Me

Profile

About:

Hello! My name is Maritza and I am an optimistic first generation college student. I am a Senior at the University of Texas at Austin. I am double majoring in marketing and psychology. So yes, the first thing I will be doing upon graduation is taking a 4500 bike ride from Austin, TX to Anchorage, AK.

Why I Ride

Why I ride?

I have spent countless hours thinking about this question. Every time I think about it, the answer becomes more complex. Originally I applied to Texas 4000 because I wanted to do something bigger than anything I had ever done. A lot of people around me had family that was suffering from cancer, and I wanted to join something that would help me make a difference.

At that time I was under the impression (or avoiding) that I did not have anyone close that had been affected by cancer. However, as soon as I had submitted my application, I received word that one of my uncles had been diagnosed with the disease. He had kept it a secret from most of our family, but my mother knew and she told me because I am fairly close to my uncle. The weekend after finding out about this was not a pleasant one. I was pretty devastated. His words every time we would go to Mexico were always the same “This might be the last time that you see me. Don’t forget what I told you. Always be grateful, for your parents and for the opportunities that you have. Most importantly, never forget where you come from.” These words have resonated in my head for as long as I can remember. First and foremost, I ride for my uncle Lalo.

I was born in Uriangato, Guanajuato, Mexico. I lived there the first three years of my life. Then my parents decided to move to Texas. My father had already been coming to the US since he was 18, and decided that it would be better if we all moved together. I lived in the small town of Navasota, Texas until I came to college. My family abandoned their families and everything that they knew to come to this new place in order to provide my brother and I with a better way of life.

Now here is the hard part. When I was six, there was a phone call. A phone call with bad news. My grandfather, on my mom’s side, had passed away. We knew that he was ill, but we also knew that we did not have permission to leave the US. We had been allowed to come into the country, but if we left, we might not have been allowed back in. This was the starting point of my mom’s depression. It later worsened with another phone call five years later. When I was 11, we received news that my grandmother was very ill. She had a lot of health complications, including a tumor. The difference this time was that we were able to see my grandma before she passed because we had gotten our papers in order. However, upon returning, my mother’s depression worsened. I always knew that cancer had taken my grandma, but I tried to forget about it because it brought back a lot of painful memories. Secondly, I ride for my MaLola.

My family has always been my support system. They have encouraged me in everything that I do. The only thing I have ever wanted to do is to make them proud. I ride for my greatest supporters, my parents, my brother, my godchildren, and my godmother.

Lastly, certain groups of people often tend to be forgotten. However, cancer does not discriminate. I ride for the people that simply cannot ride. Those with disabilities that prevent them from doing certain activities. I ride for the undocumented community. I started off being undocumented. I was brought here as a child, but by the time I was 11, I was a permanent resident. Now, that I am a United States citizen, I must not forget where I come from and the privilege that I have now. Lastly, I ride for those that applied to Texas 4000, but unfortunately did not get in, or those that did get in, but for whatever reason were not able to finish their journey.

This is why I ride. “I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say because of you I didn’t give up.”