UCF\u00a0\u00a0junior Lauren Brown plans to be on the move a lot next summer \u2013 bicycling from coast to coast with others and making scheduled stops on a project to help construct affordable housing for those in need.<\/p>\n
Beginning next May in Nags Head, N.C., the 30 riders on her Bike & Build team will set their sights on San Diego, aiming to finish their 3,602-mile cross-country trip about nine weeks later.<\/p>\n
Along the way they\u2019ll pedal past mountains, wheat fields and deserts interspersed with stops in several cities for \u201cbuild days\u201d with Habitat for Humanity, Common Ground and other affordable-housing organizations.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the completion \u2026 I hope to have an invaluable appreciation for different cultures, the simple beauty of nature, and a bigger desire for community service,\u201d said Brown, who is majoring in event management and sports business management.<\/p>\n
The nonprofit Bike & Build organization has set up trips for nine seasons. According to their website, the group has contributed more than $3.3 million to building projects while helping to promote the need for affordable housing. Teams from eight different starting and ending points will head out next summer.<\/p>\n
Brown said she hasn\u2019t bicycled long distances before, but she has always been active in sports and has a spinning bicycle in her apartment that she works out on.<\/p>\n
Brown is a graduate of Lake Mary High School, a member of UCF\u2019s Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity, and works as a student assistant in the dean\u2019s office in the College of Business.<\/p>\n
Brown said she\u2019s looking forward to the adventure and challenge of the Bike & Build.<\/p>\n
As she pronounces on her website: \u201cI\u2019m open to new things, love the beauty of the outdoors, and try to learn from every experience.\u201d<\/p>\n