jessli13

I was born and raised in California, near San Francisco. As an undergraduate I majored in Materials Science and Engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The following three years, I lived in Boston and Chicago before realizing what I really wanted to do with my life: become a doctor. So here I am in Columbus, OH trying to get my M.D.

During my time in Chicago cycling became my primary mode of transportation. I didn’t have a car and the city was full of bike lanes and a great path that traced the shoreline of Lake Michigan. I started off on a cheap bike from Target commuting an hour to and from work everyday and have been biking ever since.

The summer after my first year of medical school, I spent six weeks in Haiti with a non-profit organization that works with locals to create programs that will help improve the lives of Haitians. Their larger projects include building restrooms away from a water supply, creating sustainable business models, and helping maintain a free clinic. While they are a small group with limited resources, I was inspired by how great of an impact they could make.

When I first learned about Ride for World Health I thought it was the perfect opportunity to combine my interests in cycling and world health. The rest of the team and I have a lot of things to do before our trip across the country next year but I expect it to be well worth it. Thanks for visiting our website and let us know if you’re interested in biking with us or helping out in anyway.