Profile

About: Hi, I'm An. Glad you could make it to my page!

I'm a fourth-year Electrical & Computer Engineering student who's also pursuing a certificate in Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship. When I'm not studying, you can find me traveling around Austin to find a place to eat, trying to curate the perfect playlist, or watching Netflix.

I grew up in a small town on the coast of Texas called Palacios. (We have one stoplight!) With its beautiful sunsets, amazing food, and loving community, this town raised me into the person I am today. I'm the proud daughter of immigrant parents who have been able to provide me with everything I need despite their hardships. I also have a loving older brother and the best cousins I could ever ask for. It is through them, especially my mom, that I truly learned what it means to love and be kind.

I am honored to be on the Texas 4000 team and hope I can inspire others to join us in the fight against cancer.

Reminder to stay at home (if you can) and wear a mask when you do go out! These are simple and effective ways to do your part to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Why I Ride

One of the people I hold near my heart is a man named Warren Morris III. He was my former high school science teacher and is a large reason as to why I’m pursuing engineering today. Mr. Morris was a man of many hats: an aviator in the United States Army, a civil engineer, and an educator. He pushed for my high school to start a robotics program and constantly inspired his students to succeed. He was the type of teacher that never answered a question directly and would instead guide students to getting the answer themselves. Freshman year of high school, I was so excited to finally have Mr. Morris as a teacher and experience his learning for myself. Little did I know, the opportunity would be cut short when I found out he was diagnosed with colon cancer. That didn’t stop him completely, though. Despite doctor's orders, he found ways to mentor and teach us outside of the classroom, even if it was only through video.

Mr. Morris worked relentlessly to help others because that’s what he was passionate about. He eventually beat colon cancer and came back to teach before finally retiring. A few years later, I found out that Mr. Morris was diagnosed with leukemia. I wasn’t that phased because he had beat cancer before and could do it again. At least, that’s what I thought. March 2018, Mr. Morris passed away after valiantly battling against his nemesis – cancer. When I found out, I was shocked and frustrated because all this man did was give to others and spread joy. Then I realized that his impact reached so many people that it would be impossible for him to actually disappear. Mr. Morris may physically be gone, but I’ll carry his spirit within me no matter where I go.

Through this experience, I witnessed how powerful hope and courage are but also how devastating cancer can be. I ride for those who would be by my side and support me on this journey but unfortunately, cannot.

Thank you for taking some time to read my page. If there is anyone that you would like me to ride for, please reach out to me. It would be an incredible honor to share their story.

Together, we can make a cancer-free world a reality.

To Alaska and back,
An Nguyen

Ride Dedications:
Warren Morris III (Sarah Nguyen, Debbie Morris)
Glenda Evans, a friend of Tomas Spath
Olivia Speed, my dear friend
Kiana Bahrami's mom
Kimberly Tran's loved ones
Pal Molian (Mohana Seelan)
Bac Hoa (Sarah Nguyen)
Sally Kurtz's mom and dad
Anissa Chan's grandpa
Amberly Nicholson's grandpa
Bryttany Vu's grandpas and aunts
sister of a friend (Jackie Guo)
Shelby Gammon's aunt
Ayah Alomari's family members
Marina Karr's dad
Victor Ramirez's cousin Rudy (Maria Muniz Ramirez)
Kiet Kevin Nguyen, Cindy Ngo's uncle
Lily Nguyen's grandmother
Cyana Chan's uncles
Richard Huynh, Minh Van-Dinh's HKN big
Ann and Amy Pham's dad
Sydney Stuhrenberg's Grandpa and Great Aunt
Ashish Chakraborty's mom
Minji Hong's grandfather
Meg Sheraden's mom
Janine B's family member
Mariana, Gaby Desatnik's mom's best friend
Morgan McCommon's grandma
Christopher Rios's momma
Dr. Eberlein's child
Bailey Sikorski, Madilyn Sikorski's brother
Alicia Sim's grandma
girlfriend's grandfather (Noel Navarro)
Loan Nguyen, Jason Nguyen's stepmom (love you, big)
Judy May, Geena May's Grandma (2016 T4K alum)
Sarah Castillo's grandfathers, grandma, and the 2016 Rockies family
Samantha Meyer's Grandma Miriam (2016 Ozarks alum)
Savannah Marlow (Samantha Meyer)
2016 Riders (Geetika Rao, Sierra alum)
Nhi Nguyen's Ong Ngoai
Alliah Hernandez's grandpa
Paola Flores's aunt
Joseph Pizzi, Sydney Ortiz's step-grandpa
the kiddos at children's blood and cancer center at Dell children's (Eena Lin)
Erykah Hill's mom
Alison Jin's dad
Nikki Nguyen's best friend
Joanne Tsai, Josh Tsai's twin sister
Norman Lee Torres
Annie, Keila, Mahid, and Maria from 2019 (Varun Rajaram, Rockies alumni & one of the 2022 Team Advisors)
Marijose Garza's grandmother
Anisha Alex's dad
Kelly Camerino, Emily Nguyen's HS teacher
Karen Liu's mom and grandma
& the 2021 team + everyone who has been involved in Texas 4000 thus far