My full name is Ryan Clifford Miller- yes just like the big red dog. I am 22 years old, about to turn 23 on Oct 19. I am from a small town in Massachusetts located about 30 miles south of Boston, right along the coast, called Duxbury. I attended college at UNC- Chapel Hill and I am now in my second year of graduate studies in Urban Planning with a focus on Environmental Resource Management at Florida State University. I am an avid lightweight rower and sculler, and, when my schedule allows, I spend my weekends competing at various regattas around the county. When I am not in the classroom or training for my next race, I am out on the water coaching the rowing team at FSU.
I first found out about Bike & Build about 3 years ago when I was still in college. What started as an uneventful trip to the laundry room in my dorm thankfully turned out to be one of the defining moments in my life. As I waited for the elevator to reach my floor, I happened to notice a flier pinned to the bulletin board near the doors. What caught my eye about the flier was a picture of two cyclists riding through what looked like a sea of rolling wheat. I was instantly drawn to the flier and when I took a moment to see what the program was about and read what the program promised, I was hooked. When the elevator doors opened, I took the flier with me and my interest in the program only grew from there. Since then close friends of mine have done the program and loved it, so I figured that it was finally time for me to take the plunge and saddle up.
When I was in college I spent time volunteering at a non-profit called The ReCYCLEry. The goal of the organization is to provide an opportunity for community members to connect with one another through the process of building a private mode of transportation as well as salvaging used bicycles to help create and sustain and urban network of rentable bicycles. The organization tries to promote the bicycle not only as a sustainable means of transportation but also a mechanism to spur change and unite a community. Many people who came to the ReCYCLEry were from disadvantaged families. It was very common to hear about how a bicycle was the only mode of transportation a family had available, or stories of how families could no longer afford gas for their car so they were forced to find a more affordable alternative. I knew my work there was benefiting the community by helping improve the mobility and accessibility of the community.
When I learned about the Bike and Build Program, what got me interested in the program was that its goal of providing accessible housing to families in need was not all that fundamentally different than my work at the ReCYCLEry. Despite different approaches, both groups strive to improve the livability and accessibility of a community by all groups of people. Instead of achieving this goal through providing accessible transportation to a community, the Bike and Build program helps to provide affordable housing to low income families in a community.
For me, I feel that this tour is my last big adventure, a victory lap of sorts, before I have to settle down and enter the ‘real’ world. In other words, I am looking forward to every moment and every experience on the trip. One of the biggest aspects of this trip that I am looking forward to is exploring our country’s heartland and meeting new people. I spent the entirety of my life living along the East Coast, which I feel has given me a bit of a one-sided perspective of our country and the culture of our nation. This opportunity will give me a chance to experience our country first hand. What better way to experience the country than by making new friends and helping families build their dreams in the process.
In terms of what will keep myself motivated throughout this project, my family and especially my brother Ian is who I look to for inspiration. My brother has been battling liver cancer for the past 7 years. Not only has he born the physical pain of surgery but he has also had to endure the mental and emotional burden as well. He never gave up when he was diagnosed nor has he ever wavered in his determination to persevere and move beyond his diagnosis. He refuses to be limited by his cancer and is living a full and active life. Whenever I may think that current challenges I am facing in life are insurmountable, I always think of Ian and know that anything is possible.
I cannot wait to see what is waiting for me just beyond the horizon.
