About Me

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About:

I was born in the great city of New York, New York, but didn’t stay there for long; a year later, my family moved to New Jersey, and, after another year, we moved to Indonesia. My first memories are from Indonesia, of things like chasing lizards and feeding the chickens in our backyard. After four years, my family was forced to move again because of turmoil in Indonesian. We moved to Houston, Texas, where my family still lives today. As a kid I grew to love the outdoors, so I joined Boy Scouts and learned to play soccer and tennis. I also found a love for music, in the form of playing guitar, listening to songs, and going to concerts. Music is a huge part of my life; it motivates and relaxes me. Right now, I am a junior and majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Plan II, two degrees that definitely exercise both sides of my mind. The classes can be challenging at times, but challenges are what I live for!

I want to make the most of every minute that I have at college, for time is our most valuable resource and it happens to be our most limited as well. I can’t see any better use of time than riding a bike from Texas to Alaska while also raising money for cancer research. I am very fortunate that so far I have not been significantly affected by cancer; nevertheless, I have experienced the feeling of hopelessness for a loved one who is suffering from a life threatening condition. I learned that out of this hopelessness, however, can come happiness, in its most genuine form. This is my goal for the ride: to bring happiness and hope to the countless people that I will meet throughout my journey to Alaska.

Why I Ride

I ride for my grandfather Papa Tom who suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Although ALS is not a type of cancer, it affected him and our family in many of the same ways that cancer would. Once diagnosed, he was given only a few more years to live, and each year it became harder and harder for him to use his muscles. Papa Tom always looked on the bright side. He told jokes often and always had a smile on his face, despite his constantly worsening condition. His positive attitude in the face of extreme hardship is something I will always look up to, and something I want to model my life after; I ride in his memory, and to spread his happiness with all those I meet.