All About Me 2016

My name is Morgan Durand and I am a 22 year old Exercise Science major at the University of South Carolina. By the time the summer is here though, I will have graduated and officially entered myself into the post-grad life! I am originally from Charlotte, NC and have been there since I was about 3 years old. My passions are triathlons, teaching group fitness classes, and I hope to pursue a career in the medical field! I would love to go to Physician Assistant school and possibly go into an orthopedics or sports medicine specialty. 

I first heard about Bike & Build my sophomore year of college when one of my track friends, Andrea, decided to take on the challenge of biking across the country. Within minutes of stalking her on the internet, I was hooked. I immediately signed up for Bike & Build and was chosen to participate in the Southern US 2014 route. This trip taught me so much and I gained so much experience and love for the Bike & Build family that I couldn't shake the feeling and desire to get out there on my bike again. This year I am so excited to take on an even bigger challenge! This year I want to be one of the driving forces behind my riders' best summer ever. I want to show them how it feels to complete a Bike & Build trip, how it feels to help people in this country who are struggling to find their homes, and how it feels to believe in yourself and finish something bigger than yourself. 

The affordable housing crisis in America is much more widespread and urgent than I can ever express. I never understood it until I was able to cross the country and see the same situation over and over again where there are families, with mothers and their children, who do not have a safe place to call home. Bike & Build had a changed meaning for me during my last trip. I was no longer cycling from city to city, enjoying my adventure and crossing the country for myself. I was cycling from build site to build site, excited to shake the hands of the volunteers and families who I was lucky enough to help. Yes, Bike & Build is a crazy and amazing adventure, but more importantly, it is a program that educates young people on a major crisis in the US and allows us to have a hand in making someone's life better. 

I cannot wait to do Bike & Build again. I cannot wait to add my new team to my growing B&B family. I cannot wait to get back on the build site, meeting new people in new places. And I cannot wait for another amazing, life changing summer.