BY TORI HOCHENDONER
Staff Writer

Everyone gets stuck with labels, but labels are only there for the outside of a person. Labels do not define a person from the inside.

That was the message delivered today by motivational speaker Rob Oliver, who urged students to be motivated by their dreams and what they can achieve.

Oliver is a man who has overcome many obstacles in his life. In August 1993, Oliver suffered a body-surfing injury that paralyzed his legs and left him with only partial use of his arms and hands.

As a 21-year-old when this incident took place, he wondered what was going to be able to do. Oliver said his incident was the ultimate “dream snatcher.”

Oliver stressed that life is in the business of throwing curveballs. They show people that maybe they should be chasing a new dream instead of dwelling on the old dream, he said.

While in rehab after his accident, Oliver realized it was not a matter of if he was going to achieve his goals — it was only a matter of when he was going to achieve them.

Since the accident he has earned his master’s degree in psychology. He has a wife, and together they have 13-year-old triplets. Also, he works for the Disability Rights Network, along with speaking to people about perseverance, and he has started a couple of his own small businesses.

As Oliver told the students, “just because you have limitations doesn’t mean you are useless. Everyone has strengths.”