“I just wish we all felt a little more deeply connected.”

Houston Chronicle: Like Houston’s population, transportation leaders getting more diverse

"I loved Spring and have many happy memories of climbing trees, jumping with neighbors on our trampoline, swim meets, and riding my bike to the corner store or the pool at the heart of the neighborhood. Other kids my age lived nearby, and I have always enjoyed being a big sister. No family is perfect, but I was content and well-cared for as a child. I reckon everyone in our neighborhood drove. The entrance to our quiet neighborhood was on a very busy Louetta Road. We rode bikes inside the neighborhood, but we basically never left the neighborhood without a car. Dad commuted to work downtown; mom carted us around to various activities and lessons. We relied heavily on our cars. I can remember being 13 and writing in my journal how badly I wanted a license. It represented freedom and independence to me then.

“The most influential moments in my path to transportation advocacy were moments when I learned about the history of transportation policy and the risks and harms that single occupancy vehicles cause to public health. But I fell in love with active transportation while walking and biking around the (University of Texas) campus and Austin and traveling to the east coast of the U.S. and western Europe.

“I just wish we all felt a little more deeply connected. When I am on the train riding from a Rockets game, or when I can smell olive blossoms riding my bike to work, I feel very rooted in my place and my location. That feeling of mindful presence and belonging contributes to longer, healthier lives."