Richard Stockton University welcome week is an amazing time for not just residential freshmen, but also the freshmen that commute. It is a wonderful time where not only do you get to bond with others and make countless new friends, but you also get to learn all about the different opportunities available, where everything is located on campus, and how it works. There were countless, different, mandatory events that the students were required to attend; however, one event was more memorable then all the rest. This event was the Warrior Champions movie.
It was an hour long movie that followed four different people who lost their limbs or function of their limbs in war. They all shared the similar goal of trying to make it to the Paralympics. Two of them were men who lost movement from the waist down. They were both throwers and amazingly both qualified to compete in the Paralympics. The one female had lost her leg. She was a swimmer and also qualified to compete. The final man had also lost one of his legs, but he was a runner. Sadly, he did not qualify to compete. Out of the three athletes who did go to the Paralympics, none of them medaled. Even though they didn’t win a medal, it was still an inspiration to see how they overcame major obstacles in their lives. It taught the lesson that nothing can stand in the way of anyone’s success. It was very moving and even brought some to tears.
After the movie was over, they had us watch a shorter video. One of the soldiers in this video had been hit by a rocket. He lost his arm and had major damage to his abdomen. It was amazing to see how badly he was injured and then how he recovered and became skilled in martial arts. Then everyone was surprised to see that, when the video concluded, we actually got to talk to the man. It was inspirational hearing the challenges he had to go through and how he persevered. It proved the point of never letting life get you down and that you can overcome anything you put your mind to. Overall, this was by far the most memorable event at welcome week.