About Me

Profile

About:

Aside from a few months spent in Madison, Wisconsin between the ages of one and two years old, I am among the lucky group of people born and raised in the indescribably amazing city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Yes, I have a crazy Cajun family, have probably consumed more Tabasco in my life than water, have experienced alligator both as food and as an unwanted guest in a friend’s pool, and have an unhealthy obsession with the Saints.
I led a normal, happy, and active childhood. I climbed trees, got chickenpox, played with dolls, broke a bone, participated in my fair share of dance recitals and plays, tried (and failed) at an array of sports, and survived an awkward phase that lasted longer than most (some would argue I haven't grown out of it yet).
I fell in love with the school I started in eighth grade and couldn’t wait to start high school with the friends I made there in August 2005. But less than two weeks into freshman year, Hurricane Katrina hit and changed the game. My family was lucky enough to be spared irreparable damage to our home, but my parents made the decision to move to San Antonio, Texas anyway. To put it mildly, I was not happy with this decision and spent my entire first year in Texas angry and making excuses for myself to fall into depression and make the absolute worst of my situation. I looked for things to not like about my new situation and my friends at home wanted to know what I was being punished for and if my new military school was anything like the one in the Disney Channel movie, Cadet Kelly. I can’t pinpoint exactly what caused the revelation, but by my second year here, I got an attitude adjustment. I made the impulsive decision to join the cross-country team and ended up loving it, started giving my new life a real chance, and allowed myself to enjoy my remaining high school years and formed some incredible, lifelong friendships.
I still miss Louisiana every day and will most likely end up moving back there one day, but was able to develop enough of a liking for Texas to attend UT and now have the incredible privilege to be a part of Texas 4000! I absolutely love Austin and am under the strong conviction that it is the best city in Texas. I am in my third year working towards a Social Work degree and hope to use it and my participation in Texas 4000 to uphold the fact that “what starts here changes the world.”

Why I Ride

Cancer is an adversity that every person will come into some form of contact with at some point in his or her life. But with adversity comes the chance to be resilient, accomplish great things, and bring people together. This is precisely what Texas 4000 does.
“Never let circumstances choose your attitude” is a motto I have been fortunate enough to learn to live by through my displacement by Hurricane Katrina and various other adversities I have encountered throughout my life. Cancer is a horrible thing that we could all choose to feel sorry for ourselves over and just let happen to us, but instead we have people like cancer researchers, people who never give up their personal fight against it and endure it with a positive attitude, the founder of Texas 4000, and all the previous, current, and future members and friends of Texas 4000.
I ride for Paga (my maternal grandfather), a man who taught me more about how to love life and the people in it in the five short years I was lucky enough to know him before his life was stopped short by lung cancer than anyone else I have encountered in my life thus far. I ride for the rest of the Pagas who have been lost to this horrible disease. I ride for the children who have battled and will battle cancer. I ride for those with family and friends who have been lost to, battled, or are battling cancer. I ride for those who will be diagnosed with cancer. I ride for those in fear of one day being diagnosed or knowing someone diagnosed with cancer. I ride for everyone.
I ride because one of my best friends once told me that to overcome an obstacle, “When all you can do is crawl, start crawling” and Texas 4000 is a magnificent “crawl” in the right direction towards winning the enduring fight against cancer.