Rick Ooi
Hometown: Singapore
University: University of Illinois
Major: Electrical Engineering
BIOGRAPHY
My name is Rick and I am a Junior studying Electrical Engineering. I am from the “little red dot” – the city-state of Singapore, and served two years in the military and Police Force before entering college. After college, I look forward to going into the energy industry and contributing to the development and deployment of new energy capabilities like solar power and smart grids while shaping the future energy landscape.
During my free time, I love embarking on spontaneous cycling expeditions and exploring new places around the greater Champaign-Urbana area, and also a bunch of outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and kayaking. I also play a range of sports like badminton, tennis, table tennis and frisbee. On longer breaks, I enjoy going on road trips and uncovering the abundance of wilderness in the national parks and forests all across the country.
As an active member of my community, I volunteer at grassroots events like weekly Meet-the-People sessions back home as well. I enjoy interacting with the residents in my neighborhood during these sessions, understanding their circumstances and writing appeal letters to relevant government agencies to seek redress. Handling these diverse range of cases has indeed raised my awareness of the wide spectrum of bread-and-butter issues like housing and financial assistance residents face, fueling my desire to continue helping the less fortunate members of society in the future.
I am so excited to be part of Illini 4000!
PERSONAL STATEMENT
I am embarking on this journey to give voice to the American cancer experience, to hear and share the stories of cancer survivors all across the country. One of the most important aspects in the fight against cancer is to raise awareness of the disease, by not only lending a listening ear to each individual, but also amplifying their stories and showing them that they are not alone in the battle against cancer. Personally, I believe that in order to learn more about these stories, it goes beyond reading articles about relevant causes or merely liking a social media page alone, for these acts would equate to being as good as an armchair traveler. The only way to be truly involved is through experiential learning, in trying to better understand the arduous journey that these cancer survivors have pushed through by embarking on one ourselves, and in having first-hand experiences with these individuals and learning more about the hardships that they face.
Besides raising awareness of the disease, gathering funding to support researchers and medical personnel in helping cancer patients around the world is equally important. Cancer research, for instance, helps to develop effective ways in the prevention, early detection, diagnosing and treatment of the disease. To this end, I believe that Illini 4000 has identified beneficiaries that are involved in the most meaningful work in researching cancer treatments and supporting those affected by the disease. Through the fundraising programs that I would be involved in both before and during the trip, I hope to make a more significant impact in the fight against cancer and actively address the challenges that are associated with it.
Through this experience, I hope to emerge as someone who is more informed about the American cancer experience, inspired by the strength and what can be achieved as a team, and contented about the impact – however small – that has been made.