My name is Ryan Andrew Sherman, but you can just call me Shermanator. I was born to Randall and Lydia Sherman back in August of ’89 down in the sparkling city by the sea, Corpus Christi, better known by it’s other name – the hometown of Whataburger. I used to run my block in my post-training wheels days, making it an after school ritual of sorts, but for some reason my bike would always get stolen! Guess I was just that good.

I kept it real back in the day, but definitely worked hard in school – it was always my priority because I knew college was just not going to slide very easily into my parent’s budget. Thankfully work pays off, literally, and I am here today at the oh-so-fine institution of the University of Texas!

Right now I am studying Biology and Spanish with hopes of going to medical school. My three years here in Austin have already opened my eyes and changed me in ways I could not have imagined back home, and they continue to do so everyday. I love to laugh, travel, experience, and learn. I love to live. I want to make a difference and send good vibes on to others. I don’t know where exactly medicine will take me just yet, but I would love to combine it with everything else I love and work on the global scale in the future. I think Texas 4000 is just that – a culmination of things I am passionate about.

At eighteen years old, I thought I was ready to conquer anything the “adult” life could throw at me. I would be moving into my own place (be it a spacious dorm in Jester), going to a new school and living in a new city. I had dreamt of growing up and living on my own just as much as any other high school student ready to take college by storm. However, I certainly was not ready for the growing up cancer would make me do soon after.

On May 6, 2008, my father lost his battle with lung cancer. He was the ultimate rock of my family. He kept us together through thick and thin and even in his moments of pain managed to put others before him. Not a day goes by that I don’t stop and question myself thinking about how my father would do something. He continues to guide me and inspire me even though he can’t be here with me today. His fight has now become my fight. Riding in Texas 4000 will not only help me do my part in fighting cancer, but it will also be an honour to my father’s name, something he would have loved to see and be a part of.