I think the late Michael Jackson said it best when he uttered: "Keep on with the force, don't stop, don't stop 'til you get enough." I'm taking the King of Pop to heart and filling the Bike & Build void that I've experienced since completing the NC2SD trip during the summer of 2008 and the Chris Webber Memorial Ride last winter.
I am 23 years old, and currently a novice rowing coach at Penn State University. Since people coach rowing for the love of the sport and not the money, I also work as a full-time bike mechanic at The Bicycle Shop in State College, PA. I graduated in May 2009 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Public Relations and am so glad I found a job where I could use the skills I learned in my minor (Coaching Education).
I learned to love bikes and everything that surrounds them during the year before my first Bike & Build journey, and after the trip I became even more interested. I have since worked at a couple shops and love the opportunity to mess around with bikes all day. I was a member of the UNC men's rowing team for four years, and have always loved the opportunity to push my body and mind to new limits. Biking across the country fulfills it all.
During my time in Chapel Hill I was able to work with the Orange County and Alamance County chapters of Habitat for Humanity, then with affordable housing organizations in North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Colorado and Arizona during the NC2SD08 trip. I really look forward to reuniting with the programs in Little Rock and Colorado Springs during the upcoming summer.
During my senior of college, I had the opportunity to be a part of the partnership between the Orange County Habitat for Humanity, the Chapel of the Cross and the UNC chapter of HFH, becoming an ambassador for Bike & Build in Chapel Hill. I have since spread the good word about Bike & Build and have recruited some riders to take the plunge alongside.
All of the above is well and good, but what I am really like? And what am I looking forward to?
I like going really fast down hills in rain storms in the Rockies, I like making ridiculous-looking (and tasting) sandwiches at lunch stops, I like putting my best foot (and ribbon) forward during talent shows, I'm never afraid to talk to "townies" especially if they like to dance, I like to laugh and make others do the same, I can't wait for that first and last moment in the oceans again, I'm looking forward to making a new set of 29 best friends, I love the thought of seeing the Rockies in the distance again, and lastly, I can't wait to see how amazed people are that we are doing what we are doing, and the smiles on the faces of the people who will reap the benfits of our hard work.
This summer will undoubtedly be epic, can't wait to meet every single one of you.
