About Me

Profile

About: My name is Stephen Proler, and I am beyond proud to say that I was born in the Lonestar state of Texas. The city of Houston is my hometown, but Austin is where I belong. I am a sophomore in the school of Liberal Arts hoping to eventually migrate into the McCombs School of Business. I am currently an active in Zeta Beta Tau. My hobbies include playing basketball, hanging out with friends, working out, and watching movies. Honestly, I have seen almost any movie you can think of, even the weird ones with foreign language subtitles.
My family is known for our history in the steel and scrap business dating all the way back to my great grandfather, Ben, originating from Russia. I have spent a lot of my time in the scrapyard, and it has shaped me into the person I am today. I grew up in a predominately Jewish environment embracing the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam or “repairing the world.” Being a part of the Texas 4000 organization, I am incorporating the idea of Tikkun Olam by helping the world’s fight against cancer and honoring all who are currently struggling or have died from this terrible disease.
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Why I Ride

I ride for those that have changed my life. I ride for my grandparents Evie and Bitsy. I ride for my hero, mentor, and grandfather Jackie. It’s only fair that I dedicate my journey to them after they have done so much for me.
My grandfather, Evie, is the luckiest person I have ever met in my life. He grew up with nothing in the state of Rhode Island. After enlisting in the U.S. Navy, he was chosen along with a group of his close friends to fly on a recon mission over the Pacific, but he was able to convince one of his peers to take his place so he could go on a date. The next day the plane crashed. The newspapers had recorded four deaths one of which was mistaken to be my grandfather, yet he was alive and thanking G-d he skipped the flight. A couple of years later he was invited on a boat with some of his friends, which he again skipped to go on a date. Well, the boat sank, and there was only one survivor. His luckiest moment, however, occurred when he was diagnosed with intraocular melanoma, a rare form of eye cancer. Although his eye had to be removed, the cancer was stopped before it could reach his brain. I ride for Evie Weinstein.
My grandmother, Bitsy, was diagnosed with breast cancer in her late 50s. Luckily, she was able to receive a mastectomy and has been cancer free for over twenty years. After her surgery she was back at work and volunteering with the American Cancer Society-reach to recovery-to help other cancer patients. Unfortunately, she is still troubled by the disease through the suffering of her best friend, Sydney, who was recently re-diagnosed with bladder cancer. I ride for Sydney Rogen and Freda “Bitsy” Proler.
If you have ever had a hero, then you might or might not understand what it feels like to lose that person. My grandfather, Jackie, did not have cancer. He, however, died through a life-long struggle of type II diabetes and heart failure. He grew up just like I have, a product of the scrap yard. My grandfather attended Juilliard for singing in New York before meeting my grandmother in Houston. Instead of moving to Hollywood to sign a record label, he chose marry my grandmother and stay in Houston. He chose love. He stood by my grandmother for over sixty years especially when she suffered through breast cancer. Not enough credit is given to the relatives and friends that can only sit by while this disease tears away at loved ones. I ride for the families and friends that suffer with loved ones fighting against cancer, and I ride for Jackie Proler.
The fight against cancer is an ongoing battle, but it can be finished. I’m riding to help finish cancer once and for all.