Even though I’ve spent the last five years of my life exploring the world living an enlightening adventure, I consider Monterrey my base camp. Born and raised in northeast Mexico, I grew up surrounded by mountains and love. I am eternally grateful to God for my parents, my family, and my friends; they have always motivated me to be a better person and have encouraged me to live and learn from different experiences. At age 19 I left home to come study at The University of Texas at Austin and recently graduated (December 2008) with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Management.

Being in college was amazing! A combination of good timing and a positive outlook on life gave me the opportunity to meet some extraordinary people and to challenge myself to become a better person. Some of the experiences that shaped my four years and a half at UT include: selling educational books and software door-to-door for a whole summer in Indiana, and getting invited back for a second summer as a student manager to sell in Georgia; living in a cooperative house with 22 other very diverse college students; studying abroad for a semester in Milan, Italy; and, working part-time for UT RecSports, calling Gregory Gym my second home. Now I work with Family Heritage Life and help protect families against the financial burden associated with cancer. This summer I am riding my bicycle from Austin to Anchorage to fight cancer with Texas 4000.

It was April of my freshman year in college when I found out that my father had been diagnosed with lung cancer and needed to go into surgery almost immediately. I felt terrified. I wasn’t able to make it back home in time, but my family promised to keep me informed of how everything went. I felt relieved when I got a phone call from my sister, telling me the surgery had been successful and he just needed to rest. We never guessed that this was only the beginning. Things became complicated during the recovery process and my dad had to remain in the hospital for 2 months. Today, three years later, he is still fighting cancer.

I am also fighting cancer with him. My father is the best coach I’ve ever had; he has shown me the value of hard work and motivation. His leadership has guided me through life and I aspire to one day be half as successful as he is. I learned from him that anything is possible with persistence and a positive attitude.

I am riding to Alaska for my daddy and for all of those in my family that are battling against cancer. I am riding across North America to raise money for research, so that tomorrow we do not have to live with the fear that cancer may take away our loved ones. I am riding to spread awareness and hopefully help prevent more suffering. More than anything, I am riding my bike to Alaska because I want to remind the world that there is hope. I am optimistic that together we can make a difference.