A Triangle woman has racked up the highest rating for a female Uber partner on the East Coast, winning the ride-sharing company’s highest honor, The Sixth Star. Lisa Schuerenberg, who signed on as an Uber driver after a life-saving bone marrow transplant at Duke, wins an Uber gift package and a $1,000 American Express gift card.

Schuerenberg had to give up her job at a Fortune 500 company where she had worked 20 years due to her illness and after the bone marrow transplant was looking for a way to re-enter the work force. A friend mentioned partnering with Uber and she signed up.

“Uber got me back out into the world. I’ve had a ball meeting everyone from students to professionals to professors,” she said in a statement.. “It’s a great way to meet people in the community. It’s fun to feel like a tour guide in the area.” Although she has a full time business/consumer sales job, she plans to keep on driving for Uber. “I love it. I’m a very social, high energy person so I don’t like sitting around doing nothing,” she told WRAL TechWire.

Since starting, she’s made more than two thousand trips for Uber. She keeps her BMW in immaculate shape and tries to make riders feel as comfortable as possible – often by supplying snacks like fruit punch gum. She keeps the rider’s comfort in mind as her number one priority, “It means the world to me to be a Sixth Star award winner,” she said.

Uber spokesperson Arathi Mehrotra, general manager, Uber NC says the company partners with thousands of drivers in the Triangle area.

“Demand in the Triangle continues to grow dramatically,” he said. “We are seeing strong interest from riders in various parts of the community, including universities, downtwon areeas and business hubs as well as from drivers eager to partner with Uber for the added economic opportunity and flexibility to start a business and earn a living.”

Across the state, he noted, “Three in five North Carolinians now have access to a reliable ride with Uber. Uber celebrated its two millionth ride only a few months ago. In the roughly two years since Uber’s first trip in NC, driver partners across the state have taken home over $20 million by driving on the Uber platform.”

Uber selects two winners of the Sixth Star Award from different regions globally each week. One winner is selected based on a rider nomination and another winner is selected for his or her combined highest rating and highest number of trips.

How much does an Uber ride cost? All area Uber fares follow this template: https://www.uber.com/cities/raleigh