About Me

Profile

About: I'm Jen, a fourth year linguistics student at the University of Texas. I was born and raised in Mesquite, a suburb outside of Dallas, but made the transfer here a year ago. I spend my free time doing yoga and watching bad movies with my friends. I have an affinity for all things nerdy, everything from comic books to video games. You can also find me hiking or camping on weekends during the summer. I also love traveling, with a recent trip to Scotland re-igniting my wanderlust. I can't wait to travel the country with my teammates spreading awareness and my story to those along the way!

I am the youngest of four, with three older brothers. I was primarily raised by my mother after my father's sudden passing from a heart attack when I was 11. Even before becoming a single mother of four, she was the only source of income working night shifts as a nurse to make ends meet. After my father's passing my respect for her only grew.

She pushed me academically and as individual, allowing me to travel abroad as a teenager. Her sense of hard work stayed with me, through cross country meets to musical practice, and I strive to be better at whatever I embark on. After high school, I worked and went to school in order to transfer here. Now I have amazing opportunities here at University of Texas at Austin that can help my dreams of making a difference in this world come true. With my resources and personal experience, I hope to inspire and be inspired by those affect by this disease and help fight cancer one mile at a time.

Why I Ride

I ride for my mother, Suzanne. In 2008, when I was only 14, I came home from my first trip to Europe to find my brother picking me up at the airport with a letter from my mother. In that letter my mom told me that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer while I was away and that she couldn't pick me up because she was in surgery. The news was too much, I broke out into tears. My mom had always seemed invincible to me and to hear that she could be leaving me was overwhelming. Luckily, with the motivation of my older brother to get a checkup, she was able to catch the cancer in stage 1. I remember asking her one day when helping her rewrap her bandages why she waited to tell me, especially when she seemed so happy and calm over Skype. She told me she didn't want to worry me on my trip. She was my rock, my stability, and seeing her so vulnerable only made me realize how strong and brave she was. I always thought she was the one that gave me hope, but I never realized how much hope I had given her. My mom eventually went into remission and been cancer free ever since, but I still take part in activities like the Susan G. Komen 5k to help those who are still fighting.

I also ride for both of my aunts, Ynid and Chris, who both fought and survived breast cancer around the same time as my mother. Both incredibly strong, independent women who have had a great impact on my life.

I ride for my grandmother, Merle, who passed away after doing everything she could to fight her breast cancer after nearly 20 years. One of the strongest women I have known, going to events with friends even when she was exhausted from chemo. She never gave up hope or fighting. She went into remission for a few years but eventually the cancer came back as stage 4 lung cancer and she passed away. Even in the end, she wanted family and friends to be happy. She bought me a nice dress for her funeral and a doll so I could play when my parents were dealing with the doctors.

I ride for my high school theatre teacher, Mrs. Laminack, who is still fighting colon cancer. By far the most influential teacher of my academic career, she pushed all her students to be independent and hard working. With her tough exterior and dedication to teaching, it was sad to see her leave to take care of her daughter when she found out she was pregnant. A few years later, I found out that with the discovery that she was pregnant again with a second child, the doctors had also found colon cancer. She chose to carry the pregnancy to term and had a healthy child. Seeing her love for her children be stronger than herself gave me a whole new sense of respect for her.

I ride for a family member named Gail Jordan. She was recently diagnosed and passed away from terminal cancer. Her spirit and love for her family was great and I will carry that with me as I ride. Also I ride for her mother, husband, and daughters as they deal with the loss of someone they loved greatly.

I ride for all those who have survived and are currently fighting cancer, as well as their family members, in the hope that one day no one has to fear cancer.