About Me

Profile

About:

I'm an ambitious and determined young woman from Mansfield, Texas. Although I have lived in Texas for most of my life, I was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and still identify with the state very much. I have a wonderful family that I love more than they know. My sister is a sophomore at Stephen F. Austin State University and my parents both still live in Mansfield. However, my favorite members of my family are my two cats, Spooks and Belle!

I'm a senior psychology major at UT and I really enjoy everything I'm involved in on campus. I'm President of Women in Psychology, Academic Chair of the University Fellows Student Panel, a head research assistant in the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders, President of Intellectual Entrepreneurship Citizen Scholars, a member of Forever Texas, and chair of Cancer Alliance. Obviously, I love to stay crazy busy! After graduation, I hope to go straight into a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program and continue working on research involving social media, body image, and social anxiety.

When I'm not on campus, I love to bake and try new restaurants, activities, and events around Austin. My first concert was in Austin as a college sophomore, and I've really come to love and take advantage of the live music scene here. I also really love being active. Yoga, running, cycling, hiking, and kayaking are just some of my favorites! However, my favorite activity is traveling. I want to see every corner of the world! It brings meaning to my life in ways that my achievement-oriented goals cannot. I love it. Also, I'm terrified of seaweed. Don't think you're going to get me to jump into anything where seaweed is even remotely visible. It won't happen.

Above all, I crave happiness for everyone.

Why I Ride

"Let your light shine. Be a source of strength and courage. Share your wisdom. Radiate Love."

That quote embodies all that I want to accomplish as a Texas 4000 rider. I consider myself very lucky to have a family that has remained healthy and relatively cancer-free. However, I believe I can speak for everyone when I say that no family is untouched by this awful disease. I was young when she went through it, but my cousin Teri battled it with more strength and poise than I knew possible. We have a large family and I know it affected every one of us to have to watch her go through that and be powerless to do anything. I ride for Teri because she's a fighter, a survivor, and everything that cancer isn't. She's amazing.

I grew up in Texas which is far, far away from my family in Michigan. As a result, I made a surrogate support group through my great high school friends and their families in Mansfield. Sue Donovan was the mother of one of my good friends and fellow colorguard member, Katie. She was this incredible woman and band mom who was involved in EVERY aspect of our lives in band and colorguard. She taught me to sew my first flag and was always the first person I went to at marching band contests for anything from water bottles to bandaids. She was a "super mom." When she was diagnosed with cancer, it was tough for our community but she was so strong that you couldn't help but remain positive. She became less and less active, but the smile on her face would never let you know that she was having anything other than the best day of her life. Cancer attacked her body, but not her spirit, for 4 years. She passed away in March 2010 and left behind a family and community that loved her. I ride for Sue, her family, our community, and everyone else who has loved and lost.

Cancer doesn't deserve to have the last word with the people we love and I intend to do something about it.

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If there is anyone that you would like me to ride for, don't hesitate to contact me at kettlesarah@gmail.com.