About Me

Profile

About: I'm a third-year electrical engineering major student at UT Austin. I was born and raised in Keller, TX, which is where I spend most of my time when I am not in Austin. I enjoy studying languages. I am most comfortable with French, but I also am working on Vietnamese and Chinese. I am also a board game enthusiast and play DnD on a weekly basis. One of my favorite activities is to go on day-long bike rides or hiking throughout Austin. Lastly, I love singing -particularly choral music and show tunes- and have sung with the UT Chorus for the last few years.

I am asthmatic and am allergic to nuts. Living with these conditions has driven my interest in chronic conditions, particularly those that are autoimmune or cancer-related. Thus, I am primarily interested in developing technologies which will aide in the battle of these diseases, whether they be automated surgical aides or therapy devices.

I have a twin brother and an older sister, both of whom are Aggies.

Why I Ride

Cancer never seemed like a real possibility for my family. I had heard of its reach in the news and even of a classmate in school who suffered from it, but did not ever really think it would affect me.

My mom was one of the lucky ones. My uncle having recently passed away from heart problems, she decided to make her health a priority. One such test she underwent was a colonoscopy. The doctor found two precancerous polyps, both which were swiftly removed.

My stepdad was not quite as lucky. What started out as a mole on his nose turned out out to be much more. He had some knowledge on melanoma and thought the mole was suspicious, so he went to visit the doctor to get it evaluated. The resulting surgery removed a good chunk of his nose, but managed to prevent the cancer from spreading beyond its starting place.

It is incredible for me to think that something that could have inevitably killed both my mom and stepdad was able to be eliminated quickly in its early stages. In their cases, the only difference between a life filled with complications and a minor annoyance was a doctor visit. After seeing all of this unfold, the necessity of early prevention is very clear to me.

Over the years, my body has exhibited suspicious signs that have made doctors suspect things from testicular cancer to jaw cancer. Fortunately, all of the investigations have uncovered more benign causes. It is difficult, however, to shake off the feeling that one day cancer will come for me too. Until then, I wish to help others affected by the disease and to encourage others to be more proactive in seeking treatment.