Summer 2018, I biked across the country, hosting workshops about science, technology, engineering, and math along the way. We stayed at 60+ homes, taught over 200 students, and raised a little under $30,000 to make this program happen.
The trip was a gigantic organizational challenge. We had to determine where we were going, what we would be doing, what we would be eating, how to get money, which bikes we would use, what equipment we would need, etc. My spring semester last year was occupied by these challenges, as I was in charge of fundraising the money to get us there. I wrote grant proposals, contacted advisors, friends, etc., and organized a crowdfunding campaign to get us across the country.
All in all, the trip was an excellent experience. I learned about myself (hills are hard), how I interact with others (group decisions are also hard), and how to accomplish things that need to get done, even if I don’t really want to. I was constantly exhausted, eating over 3000 calories a day, and biking 70+ miles per day. We met so many fantastic people (including Greg, who just finished biking around the entire world), stayed in so many fantastic places, and ate so much fantastic food.
Since then, I’ve ridden with the MIT Cycling Club, worked as a service advisor (JV bike mechanic) at REI Cambridge, and done some truly horrifying rides.