What I liked
Through Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity I had the uncommon opportunity to ride a bicycle across the United States to raise funds and awareness for people with special needs and developmental disabilities. We started in San Francisco, CA on the Golden Gate Bridge, and finished at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. For the duration of the spring semester at UConn, I fundraised $6350 and trained on my bike for at least an hour a day to prepare.
To say I liked the trip is an understatement. I will probably never experience finishing the 8,500 ft. elevation climb Mt. Kirkwood ever again, or the brutal monotonous hundred mile pushes in the Sierra Nevadas. I will never eat a tortilla with cold cuts and cheese on the side of the road in Nebraska or wake up at 5:00am to the Rocky IV soundtrack only to put on a cycling kit I washed with dish soap while showering the previous night. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience and I will never forget it.
I am proud to have spent my summer developing as a servant leader. Biking 80 miles a day for 2 months is no easy feat, yet it comes nowhere close to the trials faced by people with developmental disabilities and special needs everyday.
