Travis Roy Speaks at Special Rivers Assembly
This week former Boston University hockey player Travis Roy spoke at a special all-school assembly at Rivers.
This week former Boston University hockey player Travis Roy spoke at a special all-school assembly at Rivers. Roy – whose career-ending spinal-cord injury inspired him to become a motivational speaker and advocate for the handicapped – talked about how the values of pride, respect, setting goals, and family and friends have helped him since the accident, and how those qualities apply to the well-being of all individuals, handicapped or not.
Roy, who grew up in Maine before attending school at Tabor Academy, enrolled at BU with an ice-hockey scholarship in 1995. In the first game of the season against North Dakota on October 20, a mere eleven seconds into his first shift on the ice, the freshman slid headfirst into the boards and was instantly paralyzed.
Less than a year later he returned to BU to finish his studies. After college, rather than dwell on his tragic circumstances, he decided to devote his life to raising awareness of handicapped issues. In addition to traveling the world telling his story, since 1997 he has been CEO of the Travis Roy Foundation, which has distributed more than $3 million in grants and funds for spinal cord injury research.
Throughout his many ups and downs with the injury and its aftermath, Roy has come away from his experiences with a strengthened sense of identity and purpose. “In life there are times when we choose our challenges, and other times when they choose us,” he said at the assembly, “but it’s what we do in the face of those challenges that really defines who we are.”
Assistant Head of School Jim Long, who organized the event, said that he was overwhelmed by the positive feedback about the talk from students and faculty alike. “His message was positive and powerful, but at the same time genuine and honest,” Long said. “He was talking about these important topics like perseverance and integrity in a way that wasn’t preachy, and I think that really resonated with students.”
Use this link to share this story:
https://www.rivers.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=477102&sdb=1
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Roy, who grew up in Maine before attending school at Tabor Academy, enrolled at BU with an ice-hockey scholarship in 1995. In the first game of the season against North Dakota on October 20, a mere eleven seconds into his first shift on the ice, the freshman slid headfirst into the boards and was instantly paralyzed.
Less than a year later he returned to BU to finish his studies. After college, rather than dwell on his tragic circumstances, he decided to devote his life to raising awareness of handicapped issues. In addition to traveling the world telling his story, since 1997 he has been CEO of the Travis Roy Foundation, which has distributed more than $3 million in grants and funds for spinal cord injury research.
Throughout his many ups and downs with the injury and its aftermath, Roy has come away from his experiences with a strengthened sense of identity and purpose. “In life there are times when we choose our challenges, and other times when they choose us,” he said at the assembly, “but it’s what we do in the face of those challenges that really defines who we are.”
Assistant Head of School Jim Long, who organized the event, said that he was overwhelmed by the positive feedback about the talk from students and faculty alike. “His message was positive and powerful, but at the same time genuine and honest,” Long said. “He was talking about these important topics like perseverance and integrity in a way that wasn’t preachy, and I think that really resonated with students.”
Use this link to share this story:
https://www.rivers.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=477102&sdb=1
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