Jeffrey Bogue
Hometown: Naperville, IL
University: University of Illinois
Major: Industrial Design
BIOGRAPHY
My name is Jeff Bogue, and I am a freshman at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I am studying in the school of Art and Design. In the future I hope to design products that are more sustainable, and are conscious of the environment and how we interact with it. Travel has always been a big part of my life, and my family, whether it be renting a cabin in the Smoky Mountains and hiking around, or taking road trips to New England or Florida and always making sure to see all the national parks on the way. Cycling became a big part of my life near the end of junior high, and has been a growing passion ever since. It is a freeing activity where I am able to break away from the confines of a car or a house, and be a part of the world around me as it flies by. Ever since I can remember, I have always enjoyed helping people, and for a long time wanted to be a firefighter to help people in an incredibly tangible way. Since then, I have moved on from my firefighting dreams, but have held on to that original intention. As a result, I have attended a summer camp, through my church, for the past five summers dedicated to serving communities across the country in need of home repair for those who are unable to do the work themselves.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Nobody is a fan of cancer, but everybody can get behind the fight against it. I never really put any thought into how powerful cancer can be. In middle school, some of my friends' parents were effected by it, but at the time, I really didn't understand cancer. More and more it seems to be popping up in my life, and I never knew until recently that my aunt is a survivor. Within the past year however, two strong members of my church passed away due to cancer, and that was when I really understood the impact and that it can happen to anybody, even energetic and seemingly unstoppable people. I realize now that cancer touches everybody in one way or another and that the more we are educated about it, the more we will be determined and motivated to stop it.