Profile

About: Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Patrick will tell you as much every chance he gets. A proud Texan, Austinite, and American, Patrick spent his youth and adolescence biking, swimming, climbing trees, and devouring books, comic books, movies and music with a voracious appetite. Today, heâ??s a journalism sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin, where he hopes to use his love of the written word and the aggressive interview for the benefit of all. Patrickâ??s hobbies include cycling, blogging, swimming, arguing with the guy who sells socialist newspapers, and talking about himself in the third person. Though he loves his hometown, with its scenic vistas and its lively culture, he desires to venture out and see the rest of this Grand Old Country they call â??Americaâ?. Inspired by DC Comics heroes Green Lantern and Green Arrow, who took to the highways in a pickup truck â??in search of Americaâ? in the 70s, he figures a road trip is the best way to accomplish this. However, he prefers the clean, cancer-fighting, and environmentally friendly opportunity the Texas 4K represents. Also, he doesnâ??t have a car.

Why I Ride

Cancer is unique in that itâ??s something which is all-but-guaranteed to touch each of us at some point in our lives. While this is a tragedy, we can use it to our advantage. Such a pervasive ailment offers us an opportunity to band together in mutual understanding and sympathy and fight for a cause greater than ourselves. Iâ??m fortunate to have not had cancer touch my life directly, but Iâ??ve known many who weren't so lucky. I lost two people to it in high school, one a classmate I didnâ??t know very well (a mistake Iâ??ve learned to regret), and the other a teacher who I respected and appreciated. One of my momâ??s best friends, a woman who Iâ??ve known and loved since childhood, recently passed away from the disease. Each fought valiantly and bravely, and they're a daily inspiration. They represent the true power in fighting cancer: itâ??s not some abstract cause; itâ??s an influence which affects us all, which is visible daily in the lives of people we love, respect and admire. Itâ??s a fight thatâ??s right in front of us, day in and day out. With that in mind, something like the Texas 4K seems like the right thing to do. Itâ??s the least I can do for people far stronger and more courageous than I.