Climate Ride, Gardiner

Vanessa Gardiner is a freshman at Eastern Mennonite University studying biology and kinesiology. Vanessa is on EMU’s basketball, track and triathlon teams, and loves to exercise and challenge herself physically.  She also likes to read, do yoga, paint, draw and watch anime. Vanessa, who grew up in Springfield, Va., describes herself as “a little shy at first, but I will eventually open up to everyone.”  

When thinking about climate change, Vanessa is most concerned about the effects on animals and other living organisms. She is worried that “we are not taking enough action together as a global community.” Where she finds hope is in people who are giving their all to raise awareness for the issue.  

Vanessa was attracted to the climate ride because she said, “I wanted to bring more awareness to climate change and challenge my mental and physical abilities.” She is fairly new to both biking and traveling, and looks forward to developing her biking skills and seeing many new places.