Profile

About: Raised in Hempstead, Texas, the youngest of three, I was surrounded with a lot of love growing up. I started getting involved with community service at Episcopal High School in Houston, where I graduated c/o 2002 before spending my freshman year at UC-Berkeley. After a year in California, I knew Austin was the place for me and I came home. Now, I am majoring in biomedical engineering and plan to go to medical school in the fall of 2007. I will take the MCAT in April and apply to school while I'm on the road, so wish me luck. Besides medicine, my other interests include watersports, snowboarding, hockey, politics, and reading.

Why I Ride

I decided to get involved with Texas 4000 mostly because of a few people that have meant a lot to me and my family. One of the kindest people I've ever known, my Uncle Bill, died of esophageal cancer when I was in high school. He smoked for 25 years but quit 7 years before being diagnosed with cancer. Then, almost two years ago, my grandpa died of stomach cancer. It was caused by years of gastrointestinal refux disease, which is 99.9% controllable now because of advances in medicine. These two men were the reasons I almost applied to the 2005 ride when I first read about the Texas 4000 over a year ago, but I didn't. Then in May of 2005, my Great Aunt Ruth (who really was a great aunt) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Sister to my grandmother and grandmother to my best friend, she had the sweetest heart and funniest laugh of anyone I knew. She passed away after I applied for the 2006 ride, and once I was accepted to ride I knew it was what I wanted to do. Hopefully, the funds we raise for the American Cancer Society will make advances now that otherwise wouldn't be made for years to come. Hopefully, these funds will save the life of a loved one before its too late.