Spring Break
The Daily OrangeGearing Up
Two SU students will spend their summer biking, building homes.
By Shayna Meliker
Posted: 2/14/08, 11:12 PM EST Section: News
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"I was probably about 5 or 6 years old, and I was all decked out in elbow and knee pads and safety gear because my dad's an emergency room doctor," she said.
This summer, she's putting those skills to use.
Hirsch, a 5th year music and biology major at Syracuse University from Setauket, N.Y., is taking part in a program called Bike & Build. The goal of the trip is to end poverty housing through fundraising and cycling trips that raise awareness for the cause.
But Hirsch isn't the only SU student involved. After learning about Bike & Build, she approached her friend Dylan Smith to see if he'd be interested. Smith, a 5th year architecture major from DeWitt, N.Y., couldn't wait to jump on board.
"I talked to (Sonya) about it, and it sounded really cool," Smith said. "I was interested in the building part of it too, because I'm in the School of Architecture. I also wanted to just get out and see the country."
Hirsch and Smith have known each other since freshman year.
Hirsch was in Old Forge, N.Y., last summer when she saw a group of young adult bikers wearing identical red jerseys. A few days later, she was on a travel Web site and discovered pictures of people wearing the exact same jersey. After learning about Bike & Build, Hirsch said she knew instantly she wanted to participate in the program.
"Biking across the country is something that I never really thought I would be doing," she said. "But to see this opportunity and the affordable housing cause involved with it was exciting. I volunteer a lot, and to combine cycling and something like supporting affordable housing together, that's the coolest experience ever."
The ride is scheduled to begin May 15 in Virginia Beach and end in Cannon Beach, O.R. on July 25, which happens to be Hirsch's birthday.
Hirsch's father, Kenneth Hirsch, said the only thing his daughter wanted for her birthday last year was a road bike, and she seems very excited about the idea of biking across the country.
"Sonya's always been one to meet challenges, and she's also always been a very charitable, altruistic person," he said. "Something like this fulfills both of those qualities. She gets the chance to have a great adventure and ride across the country and do good along the way."
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