I was born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, but moved down to Texas for college. I'm in my final & fifth year at UT as a Business Honors/Finance and History major. I have loved living in Austin for the past few years. It is a very special place filled with great people! However, I did leave Austin for the spring semester of my junior year when I had the opportunity to study abroad in Seville, Spain. I chose to stay in Europe for five weeks during the summer for a whirlwind back-packing trip and loved every second of it. A few other things I love are my family and friends, traveling and exploring new places/cultures, reading, spontaneous people, learning languages, dancing, and just being outdoors.

After graduating in May and completing the ride this summer, I will be working for Deloitte Consulting in Dallas. I'll be very sad to leave Austin, but it feels great to have a job lined up and I'm excited to start working!

During a trip to New York this summer, I spent an afternoon enjoying the sun in Central Park. While a friend and I were being passed by cyclists on one of the paths, I started to tell him about my friend who did Texas 4000 in the summer of 2006. Basically, in the midst of my bragging about this friend, I said something aloud that made me stop in my tracks. “I think it’s a great ride. We all know someone who’s been affected by cancer, don’t we?…I mean both of my parents have had cancer.” It was the first time I think I had ever said that statement aloud. And, while I’m fortunate to have parents who have beaten cancer through early detection, I know that not everyone is as lucky. I knew that afternoon that I wanted to do the ride to Alaska.

I think that it is incredible that in a society that is so technologically advanced, where a computer is ancient when it’s 4 years old (like mine!), and you can surf the internet on your new cell phone, there is still no cure for cancer. Personally, I am ready to do my part in finding a cure and discovering the best treatments and tools for prevention. I want to be proactive in the fight against cancer and help everyone see that there is hope! And, I think it is true- Texas 4000 members ride for those who can’t. I know a lot of people who are currently fighting cancer or have recently won their battle with cancer who would ride if they were able.