BIOGRAPHY

Hi! My name is Corinne McKenna. I am from Oak Park, Illinois and still live here as I commute to Concordia University in River Forest, IL. I am a junior studying Elementary Education and hope to teach in Chicago after graduation. I started off as a Not-for-Profit Management major, but decided I wanted to work with kids in the school setting. I attended the University of Illinois for a semester in 2012, but decided to move back up to the Chicago area to attend school. I have a brother and two sisters, one of which completed the Illini 4000 in 2008. I have worked for the Park District of Oak Park since 2010 as a coach, camp counselor, referee and supervisor. When I’m not busy with work or school I enjoy biking, reading, a good game of Ultimate Frisbee, basketball, tennis, and playing my guitar. I have aspirations of traveling in and outside of the United States. I haven’t been outside of the country yet, but I hope to soon! One of my dreams is to complete the Appalachian Trail (but I’m still looking for a hiking buddy, especially someone who would scare off bears!). I would also like to become involved in some type of volunteer organization in the future, possibly the Peace Corps or Habitat for Humanity.

PERSONAL STATEMENT

In fourth grade, my teacher was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, but fortunately went into remission about a year later. This was my first encounter with the terrible disease. My whole school worked hard to create 1,000 paper cranes in honor of our teacher. The experience had a great effect on me and made me realize that cancer is a disease everyone has some connection to. When my older sister got involved in the Ride in 2008, I felt inspired by the great cause of Illini 4000 and I strove to do something that had as much of an impact as the Illini 4000 ride did. I always think of how I want to make some sort of an impact on the world around me and I feel that this ride is a great way. People can easily donate money to worthwhile charities, but it’s another thing to take on the challenge of biking thousands of miles across the country to raise awareness about cancer. I hope to come to understand cancer on a more personal level and join the fight against the disease through Illini 4000 and the Portraits Project.