Finding Her Path in Public Health: UT Austin Graduate Student Bikes 1,700 Miles for a Cause

Published: August 21, 2026

Eliana Glenn’s path to public health began as an undergraduate at UT Austin. Originally from Dripping Springs, Texas, Glenn chose UT for the experience of a large university while staying close to family and friends in Austin. She graduated in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Today, Glenn is pursuing a Master of Science in Health Behavior and Health Education in UT’s College of Education and serves as the graduate student assistant for the Longhorn Wellness Peer Educator program.

Eliana Glenn celebrates her 2024 graduation from UT Austin. Her experience as a Longhorn Wellness Peer Educator as an undergraduate helped shape her path toward public health.

Her connection to the Longhorn Wellness Center began when she joined the peer educator program as an undergraduate. Glenn initially thought the experience would help prepare her for medical school. Instead, it changed her career direction. “I really attribute my interest in public health to my experience at the Longhorn Wellness Center,” Glenn said.

As a peer educator, Glenn led workshops on sleep, sexual health and failure. The experience showed her how prevention, education and personal connection can influence health. “The program really teaches you that making real change in people’s health starts at the prevention level,” Glenn said.

This summer, Glenn took those lessons beyond campus, spending 50 days biking nearly 1,700 miles from Seattle to San Diego with Pedal the Pacific, a nonprofit that raises awareness and funding to combat domestic sex trafficking.

Glenn takes a break along the Oregon Coast during her summer with Pedal the Pacific.

Glenn and nine teammates averaged about 42 miles a day, riding through rain and steep terrain while carrying camping gear on their bikes. “The first couple of weeks were honestly really hard,” Glenn said. “It was kind of a shock to the system.”

Glenn rides through Washington with her camping gear packed on her bike during the early days of the journey.

Along the route, the riders met organizations working in trafficking prevention, crisis response and survivor support. Glenn said her peer educator experience helped prepare her to have conversations about difficult topics. “When you’re leading workshops about topics like sexual health, you learn how to talk about uncomfortable subjects,” Glenn said. “You learn how to make those conversations feel approachable and supportive.”

The ride also introduced Glenn to victim advocacy as a possible career. She met advocates working directly with survivors and saw connections to what she had learned about public health, prevention and interpersonal violence education. “I had never heard of that as a career path,” Glenn said. “I really love being with people and around people.”

Glenn and a teammate arrive in San Diego, completing their ride from Seattle.

Now back at UT, Glenn is beginning her final year of graduate school while continuing her work at the Longhorn Wellness Center. Madeline Shaw, health promotion and well-being strategy manager at the Longhorn Wellness Center and Glenn’s supervisor, said Glenn has also made an impact on the Peer Educator program.

“Beyond her professionalism and reliability, she approaches everything she does with sincerity and compassion,” Shaw said. “Her leadership as a graduate assistant and former peer educator has directly impacted the confidence and sense of community within the Longhorn Wellness Peer Educator program.”

For Glenn, her experiences at UT and on the road have helped bring her future into focus. “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do next,” Glenn said. “Then I had this experience, and now I’m like, ‘This is the career path I want to go down.’”