Alex Watters's Story of Determination

When Alex Watters was a freshman at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, a diving accident at a friend’s lake house permanently damaged his spine and confined him to a wheelchair. After one year of surgeries and therapy, Alex returned to Morningside to resume his college career. Alex, now 26-years-old and fresh out of graduate school, confides to Roger Martin in this New York Times article that his transition back to school took a lot of courage and brought many challenges. As he describes, “On the physical side, there were no door openers in campus buildings. But perhaps the most significant challenge was psychological. As you can imagine, it took time for me to get comfortable with my new image.” 

While Alex takes Roger on a “wheelchair tour” through his old college campus, he points out these various challenges he faced and the ways he overcame them. He provides an inspirational account of how he refused to let his injury interrupt his life. By persevering in the face adversity, keeping his confidence, and not being afraid to ask for help when needed, Alex proved to himself that he was still capable of accomplishing his life goals.

Follow the below link to read this article and learn more about Alex’s story…

The New York Times: “Campus as Obstacle Course,” by Roger H. Martin