Good Morning!
My name is Emma Betz and I am currently a freshman at James Madison University in the luscious city of Harrisonburg. I am currently working towards a Kinesiology major and I am hoping to pursue Physical Therapy. As of now, I am weaving Spanish into my life as well. My other home and only other home ever is Blacksburg, Virginia. There I attended Blacksburg High School and participated in many outdoors adventures, work with the environment and sustainability, soccer, running, and later on I began doing triathlons!
I now spend my time learning. I learn from my professors, family, friends, art, and pretty much anything and everything around me. I just got done with triathlon season and am working on two newfound joys: rock climbing and mountain biking. Whether I am getting a great physical workout, or just relaxing by a bonfire, I am almost always outside.
I initially learned about Bike and Build around two years ago and got to meet with the Central route workers who ended up spending the night in Blacksburg. They were awesome and definitely made an impression. Lets be honest though, why wouldn’t you want to help out people while getting to ride a bike and see the country from a completely unique and humbling point of view? I wasn’t old enough at the time, but I was willing to wait. Unfortunately, after doing majority of my fundraising and training and getting extremely excited, I broke my elbow riding my bike. It was a pretty disappointing, however, I am doing it this year! The wait, I feel, is going to make this summer that much more sweet. I also figured out that I most likely broke my elbow because I was not supposed to do Bike and Build until the summer after my freshman year. Two other girls from my town have completed Bike and Build after both of their freshman years, and I have seen the benefits that come from the program.
While I have never worked with affordable housing as of now, I plan on joining JMU’s Habitat for Humanity club next semester. Affordable housing, along with the recession, is a more prominent issue than ever. I would love to take part in helping others and everyone deserves a home. In the past I have helped with local food drives as well as being active in helping to preserve our environment. Not only will Bike and Build allow me the opportunity to truly start my journey of giving a hand, but I also get to make new friends, go places I’ve never been, and ride my bike! I can’t wait for this experience.
I would love to make you all a bracelet and I’ll see you soonJ
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