- Eric McElvenny is a former Marine and Olympian. He was the guest speaker at Alice ISD's convocation.
- McElvenny shares his life experiences with teachers as motivational advise for the upcoming school year.
The new school year at Alice Independent School District is approaching and there’s no question about the excitement felt at the district. On Monday’s convocation, administrators got to hear from guest speaker Eric McElvenny who spoke to the district about facing challenges.
Former Marine and Olympian Eric McElvenny spoke to get teachers and staff pumped.
McElvenny faced many obstacles and adversity along the way similar to what educators go through.
"There's challenges. There's a goal. Sometimes trying to reach that goal, things get in your way and you have that choice to give up or to push through. And understand the end goal of educating our youth. Getting them ready for the next step,” McElvenny said.
Back in 2011 while serving in Afghanistan, he stepped on an explosive device that took the lower part of his right leg.
"That was my challenge. That was my obstacle. My life changed that day and I had to get back to a new normal. And what I used was sports. Sports helped me get back into it specifically training for a triathlon,” McElvenny said.
He didn’t let his injury stop him from pursuing other goals in life. He pushed through his recovery and started competing in triathlons. And the work paid off. In 2021, he qualified for the Paralympics in Japan.
Using his life experiences, he’s been able to motivate others.
"Talking about resilience. And just the fact that everybody matters. Each and every person on this Alice team is important to completing the mission and developing our youth. I went through a challenge. I had some obstacles and adversity. And I think that translate exactly to what teachers and to what school administrators go through day in and day out,” McElvenny said.
McElvenny qualified to race in Paris, France alongside other USA elite athletes with physical disabilities, in the 2024 Paralympics on Sept. 1.
His story inspired teachers like Amanda Gonzalez.
"The greatest thing that I got from the speech today was how he was talking about perspective. I think I'm able to impact them by showing them what they get to look forward to in the future. And we get to do that a lot with collaborations we get to do with the high schoolers,” Schallert Elementary Teacher Amanda Gonzalez said.
Eric McElvenny said teachers must know they are impactful. Alice ISD will open its doors to students on Aug. 12.
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