Profile

About: Hello!
I'm Audrey. I'm a lifelong Austinite and I'm lucky to have my younger siblings, parents, cousins, aunt, and grandma all within a 10 mile radius of campus.

I'm currently a sophomore at UT majoring in Plan II and Middle Eastern Studies with a certificate through the Arabic Flagship Program. I decided to study Arabic after working both in Austin and abroad in Athens, Greece with refugee communities. Frustrated with the injustices of the current immigration system, eventually I want to work on the policy or advocacy side of immigration issues and push for more equitable policies. I currently stay connected to this goal not only through my academic field of study, but also through Interfaith Action of Central Texas' refugee mentorship program.

I'm also involved in a local church, the Liberal Arts Council, Tri Delta, and of course... Texas 4000.

Why I Ride

I ride for my friend Lindsay Leach and her family. Her dad is currently in remission from stage four melanoma, yet continues to fight through the long term side effects of the treatments. Lindsay's steadfastness and loyalty even as her family has gone through all of the difficulties that cancer presents, inspires me to ride to Alaska.
I ride for my aunt Stacey, who lost her mother to aggressive ovarian cancer. Aunt Stacey made the courageous and difficult choice to have preventative surgery when she discovered she was a carrier for the BRCA gene. The strength that my aunt has shown through her surgeries, all while never missing a beat as a dedicated wife, mother and businesswoman, motivates me to ride to Alaska.
Finally, I ride for the Preston family. Emma, one of my dearest friends, lost her mom to metastatic breast cancer this past summer. Mrs. Preston left behind a legacy as an incredible educator, traveler, believer, friend, and mother. I can not imagine a better way to honor and celebrate Mrs. Preston's legacy- her love of travel and adventure, her passion for education, her ability to encourage vulnerability in others- than by participating in Texas 4000, raising money to help fight cancer, educating myself and others about cancer prevention, and ultimately… by fearlessly venturing across the continent on my bike to spread the messages of hope, knowledge, and charity.