About Me

Profile

About: Hi, I'm Amruta but my friends call me Amu. I am from Irving, TX, where I grew up with my parents, little sister, Siya, and dog, Tino. I am a Biomedical Engineering and Plan II double major with a technical focus in electrical engineering. Outside of class, I am a member of Texas Lassos, a UT spirit and service group, and am the secretary of SP2E, the Society of Plan II Engineers. In my free time, I love thrifting, sewing, and cooking--although I'm not the best at cooking (yet). I am also really interested in sustainability and am trying to do my part to combat climate change by buying used clothing and eating a *mostly* vegan diet, although giving up cheese and chocolate has been the hardest part so it's still a work in progress!


Thanks for taking the time to get to know a little more about me, I'm excited to be biking to Alaska as a part of Texas 4000!

Why I Ride

Growing up, I had always loved biology. I remember learning about cancer very objectively in class—learning the science behind how cancer cells metastasize and harm the human body. It wasn’t until I volunteered at a hospital the summer after my junior year of high school that I first met a cancer patient and saw first-hand the way those cells that I had learned about in school could hurt a real person. I remember the patient holding my hand and asking me if I could distract her for just a few seconds so she could feel something other than the constant pain she had felt for years. Years later, my heart dropped in the same way when my family visited India and I watched my grandfather carry numerous bags and tubes, thirty pounds lighter and diagnosed with Stage IV prostate cancer. It had been a few years since our last trip and seeing him so physically affected since the last time I had visited him made me feel indescribably helpless. It was then I realized that the fight against cancer was about more than working to kill malignant cells, it was a path to genuinely impacting a human life and making sure no one had to live their last days as anything but a healthy and happy individual.

My freshman year of college, one of my friends told me she was biking to Alaska and was riding for people whose lives had been affected by or taken by cancer. It was just after my grandfather had passed away, and I remember feeling so warm and hopeful that someone would take another person’s memory and story across the country and bike for a better future for them. I ride to keep that feeling of hope alive for others.

I also ride for my band director, who passed away from skin cancer a few years ago. He was a huge motivator for me and hearing of his passing, after learning that skin cancer is largely curable if caught early, initially made me so frustrated. I wondered why more people didn’t know about how simple a skin cancer screening was and why more information about preventative measures for cancer wasn’t out there. I ride to help bring awareness and knowledge for early detection in the hope that it saves lives.

One of the main motivators for me pursuing a major in biomedical engineering was my desire to use the love I had for science and tech towards a cause I cared about. I believe that there is so much hope for innovative technologies and cures for cancer in the future and it is another big reason I ride. I want to do my part to contributing through Texas 4000!

I also ride for my teammates and the stories they will carry with them to Alaska. If there is a story or memory you would like to share with me, please email me at amrutadeole@utexas.edu. I would be honored to dedicate a ride to you or a loved one ????

To Alaska and back,
Amruta <3