Profile

About: Hi Everyone! My name is Soumya and I'm a fourth year Public Health/Biology major from Katy, TX. I was born in Chicago, IL and later moved to Katy. For fun, I like to run, play golf, cook, and take pictures. I love coffee and coffee shops, am a member of Yelp Elite, and enjoy trying new foods. I even keep a spreadsheet of all of the restaurants in Austin that I've been to with mini reviews of each place.

On campus, I've been involved with Texas Orange Jackets, Science Olympiad Alumni Association, Texas Public Health, and Junior Fellows. I also work in the lab of Dr. George Georgiou.

Why I Ride

Cancer had an impact on my life before I was even born.

The first person I ride for is my grandmother on my dad's side. She passed away from what we believe was pancreatic cancer when my dad was in college, so I never had any memories of her. I know her death affected my dad a lot because he has never talked about her, and the only information I know about her has been from my aunt and uncle.

I also ride for my dad's father. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1993, and passed away shortly after. Since both of my grandparents on my dad's side passed away from cancer before I was born, I've always felt a void where my grandparents should have been. My dad's entire extended family has always felt more closed off to me, and I think a big reason is that both of my dad's parents died relatively young.

The biggest reality check for me with cancer happened about two weeks before I graduated from high school. I had just returned from a school trip to Orlando, and as seniors, we were basically done. But that same day I got back, my family and I found out that my maternal grandmother had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. By the end of the week, my mom was on a plane to India to be with my grandma during her initial surgery and the beginning of chemotherapy.

Besides having family members affected by cancer, I also have been conducting cancer research since freshman year. I spent the summer after my freshman year of college working at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and have been working in a lab here at UT since then.