What I'm most excited about...

Photo of Claressa and her brother trying out some trick riding in middle school...

  Hi all! 

       We're gonna start at the beginning... I distinctly remember the first time I learned to bike without training wheels. It was a hot summer day and my brother and I spent all afternoon in our backyard slowly learning to trust our balance and not come crashing down. Finally, just as the sun was setting, we were able to pick up our feet and continue forward. I never looked back. From biking to the library, farmers markets, and finally commuting to school and later work, biking has been my main form of transportation. 

        While I've been biking for over 15 years now, there are places in our cities that are inaccessible to me on bike. Parts of the city feel too dangerous to ride in, or are just incredibly stressful environments to be in. The worst part of biking is not feeling safe while traveling to my destination. This sucks. Biking is the form of transport available to me, and I love getting exercise while not contributing to car emissions. However, our street networks need to be better to enable everyone to feel safe while riding them, not just seasoned cyclists.    

        I'm so excited to travel to cities where biking is supported enough that it is not a step down from driving. Imagine getting enough exercise passively through commuting, enjoying fresh air, not contributing to congestion and traffic, and supporting youth and elders in transportation (generations typically left out in a car-centric model). It sounds amazing! 

        Whenever I drive through the city with friends or family, I keep imaging how else it could look. The main reason our cities look the way they do is because we've designed them to be that way! We create these places through our zoning and codes, just as Denmark and The Netherlands create their cities through their regulations.

        On another note, I'm so excited to get to know everyone going on the trip. Starting college during Covid has made making friends really hard, and I barely feel like I've connected with anyone in my major. I'm really hoping to make some new friends and get to know another professor in the department (@Rebecca you seem fantastic)!

        While I'm super duper excited about this amazing opportunity, I'm also incredibly nervous (thanks mom and dad for helping me with all the errands and panic packing). Logically, I know it'll be an incredible experience. I just have to keep reminding myself of that and take the leap!