About Me

Profile

About:

My hometown is a small city in the southernmost tip of the Korean peninsula, called Suncheon. I was born in Suncheon, and I had lived there for 6 years until my family and I immigrated to the United States to chase the 'American dream'. Our family settled in Corpus Christi, Texas. My hobbies include playing the piano, crafting, and exploring different cultures (mostly through stuffing my face!). I have played the piano for over 12 years, 11 of which were competitive playing. I have discovered through many trials and errors that there is a close second favorite to my native Korean cuisine: Indian food. I am a biochemistry major at UT.

Why I Ride

As a little girl who was fond of watching depressing Korean soap operas, I never thought that cancer was real. I thought cancer was just a figment of the writers’ imaginations and that no disease that robbed those affected so badly existed in the world. In the summer of 2008, reality caught up with me. My very own mother was diagnosed with a tumor. Fortunately, the tumor was at its earliest stage, and my mother was freed from the devastating grasps of cancer.
As soon as I thought that my ties with cancer would end, a teacher and firm advocate of geology that I had the honor of meeting through Academic Decathlon, Mr. Owen Hopkins, passed away due to cancer on March 29, 2011. Even through his extensive treatments, his love for geology was unwavering. Despite becoming so fragile that he could not hold a piece of chalk without wearing gloves, he came to our class to lecture us on the formation of the Earth.
Around the same time, my father was diagnosed with diffuse large b-cell lymphoma when he was in Korea in December of 2010. Upon receiving the news overseas, I was struck by disbelief. My father, who always told us, “health comes before anything,” who only consumed the healthiest of foods, who exercised every night for 2 hours, who had killer 6-pack abs even at the age of 50, became immensely fragile within an incredibly brief amount of time. My father immediately began treatment in Korea in January. He received chemotherapy for 6 months. Because the cancer cells in his body had all disappeared, my father halted treatment in June. Separated from my father for 7 months, in mid-July I went to Korea to see him. About a week after I had arrived to see my father, he had to resume chemotherapy, for the cancer cells had metastasized to his brain. My father passed away on March 25, 2012.
While visiting him at the cancer unit of Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, I was able to experience the impact cancer had not just on my father, but on the world. Hundreds of families affected by cancer came the hospital daily; everyday, I met new people who were fighting for their lives.
Although my father was unable to overcome cancer, my father was--is--one of the strongest people I know. His determination to conquer cancer and his positive mentality throughout his battle was what lead me to join this war on cancer. My brother and I are so blessed to have had a father who sacrificed his aspirations, hopes, wants, and dreams for his children.

I ride for my family.
I ride for my father, my inspiration, my rock, my memory keeper.
I ride for my mother.
I ride for my brother.
I ride for my grandparents who had to experience the pain of seeing their son go before them.
I ride for my aunt and uncles for losing an extraordinary brother.
I ride for Mr. Owen Hopkins who showed that not even cancer could stop passion.
I ride for all who suffer from cancer and their family members so that they will stay strong and never lose hope.