Profile

About: Hi! I’m Sara. One of my least favorite things in life is writing about me’s. It suddenly makes me feel limited and I am bothered by the idea of missing out on the intricacies of my personality, and! Conveniently! I am really good at losing the words I need, right when I need them!

I grew up in a suburb of Dallas, TX called Coppell, and once you get to know me, you’ll learn that is vital to my story. I am really passionate about learning, culture, and food, so I find myself traveling a lot (honestly the best way to indulge those interests). I’m really good at finding cheap flights and exploiting any connections, however distant, I may have in different states just to get a free place to sleep. I like lists and hate proper endings so I’ll finish off with a list of fast facts:

- I studied abroad in Australia and it was the best decision I've ever made!
- I spent summer of 2021 on an island in North Carolina where I had to take a 2 hour ferry ride to get groceries
- I love movies(good and bad, a24 and marvel, etc.) and spreadsheets… seems unrelated but ask me about my Oscars spreadsheet
- I take photos of a lot of my meals… what if its the best meal of your life???
- I like to pretend I could move to any state I visit, even if it's just for an hour (last spring I roadtripped to Maine)
- I also love lists.. I keep running lists in my notes of things like best meals in my life, best days in my life, questions I wish people would ask me, groceries, facts about myself I often forget but wish I didn't, etc.

Why I Ride

In Texas 4000, you hear the words hope, knowledge, and charity a lot, and for good reason, it is the central mission that bolsters all that we do in T4K. Even so, everyone has their own vision or manifestation of hope, knowledge, and charity in their lives; I certainly do, and her name is Mom.

The brevity of this text box is not nearly enough to capture all that my mom means to me or all she has taught me, explicitly or implicitly, so I offer an abbreviation. I learned what hope was from my mom. My mom is the type of person who does not waver in the face of obstacles. For her, there is never just one way to achieve an end and there is no limit to the things you can do with even a little bit of hope. From her, I have learned to rid of my expectations and replace them with hope. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned my mom doesn’t always have all the answers, but she has always encouraged me to act with boldness and curiosity to seek them. She inspires in me, the pursuit of knowledge, for my own fulfillment, and to give back to others, even her. Lastly, my mom is the embodiment of charity. That’s not to say you would find her volunteering every weekend, but she “talks and walks” selflessness and generosity to an extent I will likely never fully appreciate. She has driven me thousand of miles, sat through countless dance competitions (and those are brutal to sit through), and not only does she offer to cook me whatever I want (even when I don’t even know what I want), but she is the type of person who offers me a bite of her meal before she even thinks to try it herself.

My mom was also my first introduction to the idea of cancer. I say the idea of cancer, because growing up I was fortunate that it was still a distant “idea” to me. My maternal grandfather (my mom’s dad) passed away with lung cancer shortly before I was born, and because of the strength of my mom, I never had to carry any weight of that grief. But, I have been witness to the pain and loss caused by cancer and have memories of watching my mom grieve silently so as to spare us from the sorrow.

So, when asked why I ride I can’t help but think of my mom. Although I have been so fortunate to not have been touched by cancer more directly, I ride for those who have. I ride for the stories I have yet to hear and those I may never hear. I ride for those suffering in silence, I ride for the souls taken too soon and all too unfairly. I ride for continued progress and discoveries/technology/moments worth celebrating. I am riding for those who cannot, and those who live with the possibility of not being able to tomorrow.

It will not be easy, for that I am certain, but it is humbling and exciting nonetheless to be able to fight in my own little way. I would also love to ride for you, your little (or big) fights, and maybe even your mom, if you are so lucky, so please let me know if you have any stories to share or people to ride for. I would be honored to take your story with me to Alaska.

Love from Austin to Alaska,
Sara!!