UCLA student and pickleball player aims to make the world more inclusive

We all contain multitudes. Case in point: Sacramento native turned Hawaiian transplant Riley Joe. He graduates this June with a double major in psychobiology and disability studies as well as a minor in accounting, but there's a lot more to his story.

"It's a little complicated," Joe said with a laugh. "Buckle up."

Born with a joint-related disability called arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, Joe grew up challenged by issues using his hands, knees and especially his feet. Capping off a number of surgeries throughout his youth, doctors reconstructed his foot when he was in high school, leaving him bedridden for his senior year.

So, you know, he went on to become a professional pickleball player while at UCLA.

"I grew up playing baseball and was passionate about the sport, but I really slowed down as I had more surgeries," he said. "I never lost my competitive edge, though, and when one of my friends took me to a pickleball court, I fell in love."

Competing in multiple tournaments led to Joe landing sponsorships with Franklin Sports and Skechers, which meant a lot to him because their shoes can accommodate his ankle-foot orthotics.

"I was really honored to have companies not only want me to represent them, but to give me a platform in professional sports to represent myself," he said. "Growing up, I was told a lot of times that I wouldn't be able to achieve certain things, but here I am. Disability is part of my life and perspective, but it does not limit the kinds of spaces I belong in or the work I want to do."

And those things go far beyond sports. Most of the work Joe's focused on exists at the intersection of how human brains and behaviors function - and how larger structural systems create access or barriers.

"I want to help people the same way that I was helped, while at the same time finding ways to improve where those systems fall short - and I see connection, trust and respect as really big parts of this," he said. "A lot of how I think about this comes from my mom, who immigrated from Vietnam. She taught me how to pay attention, listen and meet people where they are, which defines my approach to patient care and leadership."

The human impact

During his time at UCLA, Joe also explored his interest in business, inspired by his paternal grandparents, who immigrated from China and built a California grocery business from the ground up. From his childhood on, they made a point of including Joe to show their work's human impact on both the community and individuals.

Along with some of his UCLA classmates, Joe is involved with Hemut, a startup that aims to build an AI-powered freight network system to replace the industry's current reliance on costly, fragmented tools and operations.

Healthcare remains his guiding light, however, and among the clubs and organizations Joe participated in, one of the most formative was the Happy Feet Clinic. He served as one of the chairs of the UCLA undergraduate-run organization that helps address podiatric health concerns among unhoused and underserved Angelenos. As part of this, the student volunteers wash and clean clients' feet, serve as translators and provide them with resources and supplies.

"I know firsthand how important foot care and health are to life - there was a time when I couldn't walk to a bathroom or stand up to take a shower," he said. "Because of my own experiences with foot care, I care a lot about being part of a team that shows up with respect and actively tries to help connect people with care they might have trouble accessing."

After graduating from UCLA, Joe will pursue his M.P.H. and M.B.A. degrees at Columbia University, but he's also setting his long-term sights on obtaining his J.D., M.D. and Ph.D., all with the goal of working across healthcare, law, research and policy to improve systems that shape people's lives.

"I truly believe that each of these degrees offers such an important insight in each layer of the system that I would like to redesign," he said. "And it will all be possible because going to UCLA gave me so many opportunities I wouldn't have gotten anywhere else."

Key to that, he adds, is how disability studies as a major gave him a powerful way to blend his interests.

"I've heard from so many friends where even taking just one class here in disability studies completely changes their outlook on life and the kind of impact they want to have," he said. "Disability studies changed how I understand my own experiences and the systems around me. I hope to carry that perspective into the work I do next."