Profile

About: I was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, where I lived for 8.5 years. Due to my dad’s job in the oil industry, my family moved to Houston, Texas in 2000. My siblings and I experienced a large culture shock. I remember one day in 3rd grade a classmate asked me, “Are you an Aggie or a Longhorn?” At the time, I had no idea what he meant by the question. Now, I couldn’t be more proud to call myself a University of Texas Longhorn. After graduating from Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, Texas, all I wanted to do was come to UT, join organizations that would give me a once in a lifetime sort of experience, and make a difference to others’ lives.
I started my freshman year by joining the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Through my sorority, I have been blessed with amazing friendships and philanthropic opportunities to serve my community. Later in the fall, I walked-on to the Women’s Rowing team. Only being three months into recovery of an ACL surgery was a definite challenge, but I was not going to let anything prevent me from participating. I cautiously practiced and maintained a physical-therapy routine. By spring time, I was fully recovered. Winning the Big XII Championship and the Conference USA Championship are some of the greatest accomplishments I have achieved. Rowing tested my dedication, strength, and mental toughness, but the help of my teammates and coaches allowed me to find courage to accomplish the ultimate goal. My passion for sports and my experience of knee surgery inspired me to study Physical Therapy. With a combination of my major in Business Management Information Systems and my love for sports, I plan to run a Physical Therapy practice with a sports conditioning program for high school athletes.

Why I Ride

When I was 2 years-old, my aunt, Broni, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 25. She won her battle and now lives happily cancer free. Her successful fight encourages my every pedal.
Also, my step granddad, Bill, was diagnosed with lung cancer. Unfortunately, he wasn't given enough time to fight it. Although I don't have many memories with Bill, I will never forget the few great times we shared together.
Both of the previous cancer battles occurred when I was pretty young and vaguely remember many details. However, there is one story that opened truly opened my eyes to the impact of cancer and fueled my desire to apply for this organization. During my freshman year, I joined a FIG, First-Year Interest Group. Spending that short amount of time together with the small group allowed me to get to know some of my classmates very well. There was one guy who stood out above the rest. From day one, he always had this shinning white smile on his face and just had that magic ability to make your day better. His name is Michael Dang. On August 16th, 2011, Michael Dang announced that he had been diagnosed with a rare strain of Leukaemia, known as a Philadelphia positive chromosome. This rare kind affects one per cent of all Leukaemia patients. I couldn’t believe the news. As we were both business majors, Michael and I had planned to take some of the same class times. Unfortunately, the Leukaemia required Michael to withdraw from UT for 2011-2012 school year. He wrote a note on Facebook to all his friends. The note displayed Michael’s optimistic personality and I could see his gleaming smile as I read the note. Michael describes his outlook on the upcoming treatment by saying, “letting go of all this negativity has made me feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders.” His positive outlook encourages me through tough times.
It wasn’t until my close friend was diagnosed that cancer really hit me. This reality check sparked my desire to fight this disease, which then escalated during the spring of 2012, when I was informed my granddad had been diagnosed with cancer. My granddad, Sandy, passed away on August 11, 2012 after battling lung cancer. As he lived in England, we didn't get to spend much time together. I was lucky to spend a few days with him this summer during my study abroad trip to England. I will forever cherish the simplicity of life with my granddad, whether it was picking berries from the garden or watching Euro Cup football together.
Everyone knows what cancer is. Everyone wants a cure for cancer. Cancer is so prevalent and impacts many lives. Michael ended his note by requesting one thing from his readers. “I request that we learn to set aside our differences and negativity and really learn to love others.” He also stated his goal of the letter was to “spread the word” and to “impact at least one person out of this note.” I believe he has already accomplished this goal. I was impacted from the moment I started reading his letter. Now, I want to follow his request as it is the least I could do for him. I want to love others by fundraising for cancer research and by helping those who are recovering from chemotherapy treatment.
Regardless of our relationship, whether it be family, friend or stranger, I ride for you. I ride for Broni. I ride for Bill. I ride for Michael. I ride for Sandy. I ride for those who can't. I ride for our future.
Stay Strong.