Overcoming Adversity

<p>Keynote speaker Mike Schlappi has an inspiring message for every American, young or old: “Just because you can’t stand up, doesn’t mean you can’t stand out.” </p><p>As president of Mike Schlappi Communications, and confined to a wheelchair, he is spreading that word to audiences ranging from students to chief executive officers, from rookies to Olympic champions, and from small gatherings to major conventions.</p><p>At the age of 14, Schlappi was student body president, had been awarded his Eagle Scout and was a competitive athlete when he was involved in a

<p>Dr. Beck Weathers moves audiences with his emotional tale of survival against all odds, encouraging you to appreciate the perseverance of the human spirit and the strength of loved ones to conquer even the most daunting challenges.</p><p>It was spring 1996. An accomplished pathologist and amateur climber on an expedition to summit the world’s tallest peak, Dr. Weathers was caught in one of the most devastating storms in Mt. Everest’s history and presumed dead.

<p>From the basketball court to the board room, former NBA star Walter Bond motivates audiences by sharing his life story of trials and triumphs. Growing up in Chicago, he always dreamed of playing in the NBA but lacked the natural athletic gifts of many of his peers.

<p>Oprah Winfrey calls Amy Purdy her inspiration. As a young girl, Purdy dreamed of sailing through fresh powder restrained only by a snowboard attached to two feet. Above all, she dreamed of freedom, of the chance to craft a personal narrative of her own choosing.

<p>Actor, musician, activist, and feminist Jackie Cruz currently stars as “Marisol ‘Flaca’ Gonzales" on Netflix&#39;s critically-acclaimed series, <i>Orange Is the New Black</i>. </p>

<p>Chris Gardner is an entrepreneur, international best-selling author and an   award winning film producer. Gardner’s autobiography, <i>The Pursuit of HappYness</i> became a New York Times #1 best seller, has been translated into over forty languages, including six (6) dialects of Chinese and most recent into Arabic. </p><p>Gardner is also the inspiration for the critically acclaimed film <i>The Pursuit of HappYness</i> for which Will Smith received the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award nominations for his performance.

<p>One of the biggest national abduction news stories of our time, the kidnapping and recovery of Elizabeth Smart captured the nation’s attention from June 5, 2002, when she was taken at knifepoint, to when the police safely returned her back to her family on March 12, 2003. Held prisoner for 9 grueling months, repeatedly threatened and tormented, Smart emerged a symbol of perseverance and strength when she triumphantly testified before her captor and the world about her very private nightmare.</p>

<p>Molly Barker is an American educator, social entrepreneur, and visionary. She is best known as the founder of Girls on the Run International, the self-esteem, youth-development and healthy lifestyle program for third- to eighth-grade girls. </p><p>Molly Barker started Girls on the Run International in 1996 with 13 girls in Charlotte, NC. Since then, the program has grown to include schools in all 50 states, inspiring over 2.5 million girls to know and activate their limitless potential.

<p>No obstacle is too big to overcome for Jim Abbott.  After being born with only one hand, the pursuit to making it to the major leagues did not deter him. As the first baseball player to win the Sullivan Award as the nation's outstanding amateur athlete in 1987, Abbott went on to represent Team USA and became the first American pitcher in 25 years to beat a Cuban team on Cuban soil.

<p>Kunal Nayyar is living proof that nerd is the new cool. It&#39;s probably no coincidence that CBS premiered its pocket-protected instant hit, "The Big Bang Theory" just months before "People" magazine dubbed 2007 "The Year of the Nerd."</p><p>A natural performer, Nayyar began acting in musicals and plays at a young age. After high school, he left India for the United States where he majored in business and took many acting classes at the University of Portland.