Kernel Editorial Board

When biology sophomore Cameron Hamilton and four friends set out to bike across the country at the beginning of this summer to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease, he’ll be doing something few other UK students can claim to do.

Forget about the nearly 3,200 miles Hamilton will have to bike over. That’s just a number, and you can’t measure how much Hamilton and his cohorts care about Alzheimer’s research in numbers.

Can you remember the last time you had anything you cared enough about to bike 3,200 miles for?

The most commendable part about what Hamilton and his Western Kentucky University counterparts are doing is that they’ve really signed on and committed themselves to this cause.

Not many college students have something so important to them in their lives, and even fewer actually get out there and do something about it.

Hamilton is making a difference, making the world a better place and making a better name for UK in the process.

This isn’t a one-day march or a telethon, this is a serious dedication to an issue that affects thousands of people, and Hamilton and his friends are (pardon the pun) making sure they go the extra mile to get your attention and do everything they can to fight this disease — even though they didn’t pick the easiest way to raise money.

“It’s surprising how after four to six hours how much of your body starts to hurt,” Hamilton said. “Not just my legs, but my shoulders will start getting sore from leaning over the handlebars for so long.”

Hamilton and his crew have been training since August, and the trip itself is supposed to take 54 days. For nearly two months, Hamilton will be sitting on a bike, exposed to the elements, toiling away for a cause.

Most UK students are ready for Spring Break or Thanksgiving after two months of sitting in class.

Not to take anything away from rallies, marches, bake sales and telethons, but this shows something different about UK students.

The kind of dedication it took for Hamilton to undertake this project, and the kind of dedication it will take for him to finish it, is something that everyone should aspire to.

So get out there and find your cause. Find something to pour yourself into, and dedicate a year of your life to.

It’s not the easiest thing, but as the old adage reminds us, the hardest thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing.