Motivational speaker inspires MCC audience
“Everybody has a purpose. It doesn’t matter about the condition.”
That’s what motivational speaker, consultant, and author Dwight Owens shared with Meridian Community College students, faculty, staff, and community residents when he spoke at the L(able)d event, sponsored by the Special Olympics Club at MCC and the Nu Upsilon Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, offering the perspective on the beauty and potential of individuals with disabilities.
“Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful,” Owens said to the audience, sharing with others his first-hand knowledge of the adage. At 23, the Collins resident was involved in a car crash that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He later gained the courage to turn tragedy into triumph, and he has become a motivational speaker determined to impact the people he meets.
“Don’t be ashamed of who you are because shame can keep you stuck in the same place,” he said.
Owens’ talk was the first for the newly formed organization on the MCC campus. Crystal Sterling, a PTK advisor, said each year, PTK is charged with implementing a college project that benefits the campus and community; inclusion and equity were selected, and the MCC Special Olympics Club was founded.
“This event is the first of many to bring awareness to our campus and community,” Sterling added. A future activity includes a skating outing. “We are using events for the betterment of the organization and to grow the club,” Sterling said.
For more information, visit meridiancc.edu.