2016 Riders
My name is Shubham Bhutra. I'm currently a junior majoring in Actuarial Science. I was raised in Bangalore, India. I love traveling and the Outdoors. I'm a big soccer person. I love meeting new people and learning about their interests. My dream is to check out every state and National Park in the United States someday.
Hello! I am Lindsey Coleman, currently a senior in Animal Science minoring in Spanish. After graduation I hope to attend grad school studying agricultural development with a focus on sustainable animal production systems. I was born in Texas, and raised in Glen Ellyn, IL a suburb of Chicago. Growing up I was heavily involved in sports such as badminton and field hockey.
Hi! My name is Alison DeBruyn and I am a freshman in the College of Business at the University of Illinois. I am from Frankfort, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. My favorite hobbies include baking, cooking, running (or exercising in general), playing the flute, and traveling. I love creating and tasting new recipes, especially dessert recipes!
My name is Sara Desmond and I am a sophomore and integrative biology major at University of Illinois. I am from Evanston IL, which is right outside Chicago. I have one younger sister, a dog (who my dad basically treats like another child) and 2 cats. I will probably be that person that keeps telling you to recycle and not be wasteful since I am very big on preserving the environment.
I’ve lived in many places over the years: I was born in China, but since then I have lived in Singapore, Arkansas, and Peoria, Illinois. Right now I’m finishing an electrical engineering degree at UIUC, and in May it will be time to move on once again. However, before picking another place to stay for a few years, biking across the country to raise money and awareness for cancer research sounds like a pretty cool idea.
Hi everybody! My name is Dakota Karson and I am so excited to be apart of this year’s Illini 4000 team! I am a junior here at the University of Illinois, where I study Broadcast Journalism. I am also specializing in Recreation, Sports and Tourism as well as receiving a certificate in Public Relations.
Hi! My name is Catherine Kemp and I'm currently a senior studying environmental science and Spanish at the University of Illinois. I grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, but Champaign-Urbana has come to feel like a second home to me.
Hi! My name is Austin Li and I am currently a senior and will be graduating this spring studying Materials Science and Engineering. I am from Naperville, IL. I chose my major because I love learning about why materials act the way they do and how we can improve them, which came from my love of running shoes and bicycles.
I am a fifth year senior here at U of I double majoring in Art Education and Photography and minoring in Spanish. I am from Geneva, Illinois and have been an Illini fan since I was born. I am one of three and love when my brother, sister, and I all get to be home together on breaks.
Hi everyone! I am Steven Sabatini, and I am a senior at Illinois majoring in Agricultural and Consumer Economics with a concentration in Financial Planning. I grew up in Schaumburg, a suburb of Chicago, and will be working in Chicago once I graduate as a Financial Analyst for PepsiCo.
Hi all! I’m Catherine and I’m from Glenview. I am a sophomore majoring in Psychology. I have a small family and unfortunately have no siblings but I have a dog that antagonizes me as if we were siblings. My favorite things to do are meet great new people, volunteer, read, and explore nature. I love to learn about social justice and do my best to make a change for the better.
Hi everyone my name is Sarah Tirnanic, AKA Saysa, and I’m an off campus rider at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. I’m majoring in Community and Non-Profit Leadership, with an emphasis in Business, and a minor in Entrepreneurship. I’m an avid runner and have the spontaneous urge to travel everywhere and anywhere.
Hey hey! My name is Rachael Venchus and I am from West Chicago, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. I am a senior in psychology and I hope to ultimately get into prison and social justice reform with aspirations to facilitate in the reduction of mass incarceration occurring in our country.
Hello, my name is Sijia Wang and I am an international student from Shanghai, China studying at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I major in Chemistry and this will be the second year of my college experience. It has been only one year since I first learned how to ride a bike, but I believe I will be able to finish the monumental task in front of me with the help of regular training.
Hello, I appreciate your interest in me! My name is Mofei Wang. I am from Beijing, China, and this is my first year in the United States. I am a speedskater! I started inline skating at around six, the feeling of great speed fascinated me. I have articipated in many national competitions around China. The experience of extreme sports motivated me to train harder and enjoy challenges.
My name is Maren Wiltshire and I am a sophomore majoring in Accounting. I have always had a sense of adventure. My family has been lucky enough to travel to numerous places and see amazing things. We have been to Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and 39 states. In the future, I hope to continue my traveling by visiting all 50 states and studying abroad.
Hi I'm Shangyi, I'm an international student here in UIUC at class of 2019, majoring undeclared engineering. I come from Chongqing, a midwest city in China. I love challenging myself, so I'm here for a brand-new life. During my spare time, I usually play tennis and go to gym.
Hi! I am Ashley Young, and I'm a senior at Illinois majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. I grew up on a family farm in central Illinois, where my brother, dad, and grandfather all currently farm together. I found out about Illini 4000 on quad day my freshman year of college, and have been involved ever since.
Hi! I am Yingquan Yu, call me Ricky if you like! I am from China and currently a sophomore in Computer Engineering at University of Illinois. My life is full of “adventure” since the first day I came to earth: Because of the birth control policy in China, my family moved to another city to avoid compulsory abortion for the second child, which is, me!
Hello, I'm Szymon. I walk the Earth like Cain, but don't follow like Isaac. I wasn't born in a manger or in the backseat of a greyhound bus, though I've been on highway 41 - not much there to speak of. I read 10 books 10 pages at a time and it takes me 10 months to finish one, but the bits and pieces make for an intricate mosaic. It's slowly getting out of control.