About Me

Profile

About: Hey y’all!!

My name is Diego Carlson and I’m a third year Studio Art major from Pflugerville, Texas. I am also currently working towards the prerequisites for PT (Physical Therapy) school during my time here at UT and hope to later graduate with a master’s in physical therapy and one day own my own independent practice. While PT is my career passion, art is just as much of a love for me and I enjoy sharing how I see the world with others through my art.

In my free time I enjoy visiting with friends, playing sports and being active, making art, and doing as many outdoorsy activities as I can fit into one day! Being active has always been a big part of my lifestyle, whether that be sports, working out, or just going on hikes and runs whenever I get a break from (zoom) classes. Outside of T4K, I am also involved with Camp Texas, a mentorship organization for incoming freshman and transfer students.

If cancer or illness has had an impact on your life, I would be honored to hear your story and dedicate my ride to you and your family. Feel free to contact me at (737) 781-0879 or at diego.carlson@utexas.edu at any time

Why I Ride

I ride for those who aren’t able to themselves. I ride for those who may need some help carrying their burden. I ride for everyone else riding alongside me who has their own battles and stories of triumph and loss. I ride because this organization is the best way I can give back to the people who need it most, and allows me to do more than I ever could on my own.

I am unfortunately not lucky enough to say that cancer has escaped my family and loved ones. My grandfather fought through many rounds of cancer but passed away from colon cancer when I was just 6 years old. Just a couple of years later, one of my close elementary school friends was diagnosed with leukemia and I got to follow his journey for the years that followed. As I was graduating high school, one of my closest friends’ father lost his battle with anaplastic thyroid cancer, and in late 2019, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I ride for a lot of people in my life, either to celebrate their triumph or as a final thank you for their impact on my life and childhood. Cancer and illness have been a constant for too many years of my lifetime, but there have been so many more people that helped me keep my head up and provided support to my loved ones along the way. I’ve climbed my own hills to get here and now it’s my time to be that support for others.

If my time in Texas 4000 can help make even a minute difference in the life or outlook of one individual or one family, that would be more than enough for me to justify my time in this organization, but it thrills me to know that my impact will certainly be far more than just one family. I want to inform and engage communities, give hope to those who need it, and ride for everyone who needs some help carrying the burden of cancer. I am ready to now give back to my community every ounce of support that it gave me growing up. T4K is a group of people who are open about their experiences, dedicated to being great leaders, and passionate about making a difference, and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of something this amazing.

Thank you for supporting and believing in the mission of Texas 4000, thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for following me on this crazy journey on a long road to beat cancer’s ass.

To Alaska and Back,
Diego