Profile

About: Hi Everyone! My name is Trisha and I am a Junior at the University of Texas studying Neuroscience and Psychology from Sugar Land, Texas! Aside from Texas 4000, I am involved in Texas Spirits, the Health Science Scholars Honors program, and the Smits lab, which investigates anxiety disorders.

I am a daughter to two wonderful parents and a best friend to a loving collie named Sarge. Dory is hands down the Pixar character I resonate with the most and Doug from Up is a close second. In my free time, I enjoy eating tacos, expressing my imagination by creating art, capturing the moments I share with my friends through photography, and trying out new coffee shops and eats around Austin!

Why I Ride

Four summers ago, I had the opportunity to shadow a neurosurgeon at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. During my time at the hospital, I met people of all backgrounds, ages, and walks of life suffering from cancer of the brain. Despite their individual differences, they happened to share one distinct commonality: unequivocal strength. I ride for the patients I met that summer who fight with everything they have. I ride for the friends and families of those patients who stand by their side and fight with them. I ride for the doctor I shadowed and the countless others who tirelessly wake up every morning to spend their time on this earth saving the lives of the patients entrusted to them.

Two summers ago, I dealt with loss for the first time in my life when my uncle passed away from cancer of the esophagus. The first time I met him was during a trip to India as a young girl. I still hold on to the fond memories I have of spending time with him and my aunt under the hot summer sun, eating ripe mangoes and laughing so hard that tears started to flow. I ride to preserve the memories I shared with my uncle all of those summers ago. I ride so that people can continue forming memories with loved ones who are battling cancer that are as beautiful as the ones we had. I ride to honor my uncle and the countless others of past generations whose stories have ended because of cancer.

Next summer, I am joining the fight against cancer by biking from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska alongside my Texas 4000 team. I ride to spread hope and disseminate knowledge for the people of this generation whose stories are currently being affected by cancer. I ride to share charity so that people of future generations to come can live out their own stories in a cancer free world. Finally, I would be honored to ride for you and anyone else in your story who has crossed paths with this terrible disease. I thank you in advance from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to join me on this journey!