Hi, my name is Scott Burger and I’m from Austin, TX. While I currently reside in Austin, my real upbringing happened in Dripping Springs, TX, a town about 45 minutes outside of Austin. Dripping Springs and Austin have very little in common. They represent two different worlds; Austin is very liberal and eccentric, where as Dripping Springs is very conservative and morally grounded. Growing up in Dripping Springs, I had property to run around on and was outside essentially all the time. It was here that I developed my love for backpacking and cycling and other outdoor sports, and a true appreciation for ‘southern hospitality’. In 7th grade, my family moved into Austin. Austin has unbelievable culture and history yet doesn’t feel old or antiquated, and my experiences in Austin have instilled in me a true appreciation for eclectic and diverse personalities and opinions.
Between my sophomore and junior year in high school I had one of the most shaping experiences of my life. I participated in a program called Amigos de las Americas, where I spent seven weeks in a town about an hour and a half outside of Guanajuato, Mexico. I, along with 2 other participants, was left in this town with weekly contact from a supervisor. We taught classes in health and the environment, as well as helped build a town square and improve living conditions. Before that trip, my main affordable housing experience came from my mom dragging (sometimes literally) me to Hands of Housing projects when I was 8-12 years old. After Amigos, I worked for Habitat for Humanity in Austin, and tutored underprivileged kids through Caritas of Austin.
I am currently a Chemical Engineering major at Washington University in St. Louis. St. Louis and East St. Louis are some of the poorest and most dangerous areas in the US, and you don’t have to look far to see the necessity for more appropriate and more affordable housing. Austin is a relatively affluent city, so living in St. Louis has really opened my eyes to the reality that there is extreme poverty and misfortune even in the US. I heard about Bike and Build from the back of a T-shirt. My brother’s friend had participated in Bike and Build and had given him the shirt. The idea immediately stuck with me, almost as my own personal Manifest Destiny. Nature has been incredibly influential in my maturation and development, as I spent my entire childhood running around barefoot in central Texas. The opportunity to see the beautiful expanse that is the US all the while contributing to its growth could not excite me more, and I look forward to this excellent adventure.
