About Me

Profile

About: I’m from the DC area (Springfield, Va to be exact) and am sometimes referred to as “The DC girl” here at UT because everyone seems to be from Texas. I’m a fun, athletic, down-to-earth girl, who simply loves God. At UT, I am a second year Geography major with a track in sustainability. I am also a part of the Arabic Flagship Program in which I will finish at Superior Arabic language proficiency. I hope to combine the two and work on an environmental project in an Arabic-speaking country.

Two passions of mine are athletics and service. Thus, Texas 4000 seems perfect for me! I am on Texas Triathlon, I have run the Marine Corps Marathon, done a Half Ironman Triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run), and I recently completed the Rock N' Roll USA Marathon. With regards to service relating to cancer support/awareness, I donated my hair twice to Locks of Love, participated in 3 swim-a-thons to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, participated in the Hudson River Swim for Life to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, ran the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, advocated for the Bone Marrow Drive (benefits patients with leukemia), and I am part of Be the Match Foundation registry. I am very excited to combine my love for athletics and service as a part of Texas 4000!

Why I Ride

Honestly, it is too difficult for me to pinpoint one person that I am riding for. Unfortunately, my family has been hit hard with cancer. My grandma is a survivor of breast cancer, my grandpa is a five-time survivor of skin cancer, and my “second mom” Marcia Martinez is a survivor of thyroid cancer. On the other hand, my other grandma lost her battle with lung cancer before I was ever able to meet her and my aunt recently lost her 11 year battle with brain cancer. I also am riding in memory of my grandpa Jay who was a marathon runner and died of a heart attack while on a run, Andrew Igo (family friend) and survivor of Ewing’s Sarcoma, and a high school friend Gabriel Martinez, a survivor of Leukemia. I ride for my family and friends: so the lost ones will never be forgotten and the survivors can have continued hope. I pray that through my ride I can bring awareness to my community and be a light to those who have been affected by cancer.

I ride for my hometown, the DC metropolitan area, that we might see amidst a culture wrapped up in petty politics that there are issues such as cancer research that can bring us together and deserve far more attention.