About Me
Hi, I’m Joanna, or Jo, as my friends call me. I’m a senior at MIT studying chemical engineering, and will be graduating this coming June. Like most other seniors, I had been thinking about my plans after graduation, and what I wanted to do with my last summer before entering the “real world”. I knew that I wanted an adventure — something more meaningful than just traveling or relaxing at home, and I knew I wanted to something to make a difference in other people’s lives. So, when I heard about Bike & Build from a friend, I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do.
I’m really excited about this trip — committing myself to raising money and awareness for affordable housing, getting to meet new people and visit new places in the US, and the challenge of a cross-country bike ride. I don’t have any past experience with affordable housing, but I’m no stranger to service. I’m a brother of Alpha Phi Omega, a national co-ed service fraternity, and we perform service on campus and in the greater Boston community.
I do have a lot of experience with construction, though not in the typical sense. Every year, my dorm spends thousands of dollars on lumber to build wild and crazy structures. So, while I’ve helped design and build a couple wooden rollercoasters and a water slide, I know almost nothing about actually building a house.
The biggest challenge of this trip for me will be the cycling. I have a bike and ride around campus, but I don’t think I’ve ever ridden more than 10 miles at a time, so the idea of riding 100 miles in a day is pretty daunting. I’m looking forward to the challenge though, and am sure this will be a fun and rewarding summer.
