I am from Austin, I attended Anderson High here, and I wouldn't call anyplace home except Austin. I attended The University of Texas for my undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. I am now finishing up my Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering here at UT as well.

When I am not working on school stuff I like to be active. I am an avid mountain biker and I also enjoy running. I recently trained for and ran the Motorola Marathon. I also enjoy kayaking, rock climbing, camping and hiking. I have the goal to compete in an Ironman before I am 30.

I lost four members in my family very early in my life - one grandfather died before I was 10, my mom died when I was 15, my other grandfather and one grandmother died when I was 17. My grandfather that died before I was 10 died of lung cancer and because of this disease I was robbed of the chace to get to know this wonderful man. My last living grandparent, my paternal grandmother has not been untouch by cancer either, she is a breast cancer survivor and she is my last link to my family's history.

I took me quite a while to come to grips with these losses. These close deaths left me with an understanding of how precious life can be.

With this ride, I want to share a bit of hope, that I eventually embraced, with people who are going through the pains of accepting mortality - a pain that I know all too well.