Profile

About: I am from Irving, Texas and I am a sophomore mechanical engineer at UT Austin.

Why I Ride

Biking and service work has been something that has always been a part of life. I grew up learning how to ride a bike from my father at a young age, going on weekly bike rides with my community bike club, and even testing my endurance with a month-long biking program where I worked up to 50 miles for a boy scouts merit badge. Since then I have continued to build endurance with my community bike club, served in leadership helping others through the program to finish their biking merit badge, and just going on bike rides with my family to relax. Through this I have gotten to love the biking and running community; their drive to finish endurance challenges not only for themselves but for the sake of others is something I strive to cultivate.
Along with this, other service work has taught me that you can make a genuine impact on many communities and issues through awareness and fundraising. My father had lost his parents and I lost my grandparents to ovarian and lung cancer before I was born. I grew up seeing the effects I had on my older sister and my parents and lost any opportunity to have my grandparents in my life. By Riding for Texas 4000, I want to show support to my parents and extended family that their hardships and struggles are recognized and that I am committed to contributing to the fight against cancer. Along with showing compassion to those close to me, I want to raise money to make cancer treatment more accessible to underdeveloped communities. My grandparents faced many struggles in India to get proper cancer treatment so fundraising for research would undoubtedly help advance the treatment people can get worldwide. Finally, I want to participate in Texas 4000 so that I can raise hope for others who are affected; even though it does not compare to what those fighting with cancer go through, I want to be able to ride in solidarity while spreading awareness for the cause.
Furthermore, I hope to participate in Texas 4000 to grow not only as an individual, but also as a leader and a team-player. Between early-morning training sessions with my teammates, to late nights planning fundraising efforts, I know I will leave Texas 4000 with a family and a renewed sense of self. I will be able to learn invaluable leadership skills that I will carry with me for a lifetime, continuing to make an impact on the world around me even after Texas 4000. As someone who is planning on entering a career in technology and public policy, Texas 4000 will undoubtedly allow me to grow my communication skills, leadership and teamwork skills, and problem-solving skills that are necessary for my future endeavors.
If selected to participate in Texas 4000, I hope to develop lifelong friendships with my teammates, while gaining experience in benefiting a cause bigger than me.I am looking forward to being part of a community of passionate individuals, where we are constantly pushing and inspiring each to reach a new personal best; even though our motivations for joining Texas 4000 are different, we share a collective goal in contributing to the fight against cancer alongside each other.