精东影业视频

Zach Gowen has definitive moments in his life where he could have just given up and resigned himself to an unhappy and disconnected existence.

But Gowen told an audience in 精东影业视频鈥檚 Carson Nugget Hall on Tuesday morning that his mom motivated him to resume pursuing his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Gowen鈥檚 powerful presentation of 鈥淒on鈥檛 Quit Your Daydream鈥� was arranged for 精东影业视频鈥檚 College Readiness Education for Students in Transition (CREST) program, but many others on campus turned out to listen to his motivational life of overcoming obstacles and not giving up. CREST, which is grant-funded by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR), prepares students with disabilities for college success and beyond. It鈥檚 part of the college鈥檚 Disability Support Services program.

鈥淚t鈥檚 this partnership with DETR since 2016 that allows events like this to happen,鈥� said DSS Director Susan Trist.

Gowen found many people in attendance that empathized and related to the struggles that went through early in his life.

Despite losing his left leg to cancer as an 8-year-old and his dad leaving his family when he was 4, Gowen dreamed of his promising future, and he dreamed big: becoming the first professional wrestling star with one leg.

鈥淭wo weeks after the amputation of my leg, doctors allowed me to go home. My grandma ordered the WWE Royal Rumble on Pay Per view for me in 1992. My boyhood hero Ric Flair won his first championship on that card. I got lost in the magic of professional wrestling and I didn鈥檛 feel like such an outsider. I didn鈥檛 feel the pain of losing my leg or the pain of not fitting in with any of my schoolmates, and I didn鈥檛 feel the pain or anger at my father who left us when I was 4 years old.鈥�

However, by the time he was in high school, Gowen was told by too many of his classmates that he was crazy and not capable of wrestling professionally.

鈥淲hatever you do, don鈥檛 tell small-minded people your big dreams,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom their limited experience in life, they can鈥檛 accomplish the dream you are talking about, and if they think they can鈥檛 do it, why can you?鈥�

Unfortunately, Gowen started to believe his naysayers. Fortunately, his mom intervened when the 17-year-old became depressed and resigned to not becoming a pro wrestler.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to go outside, I didn鈥檛 want to go to school, my grades started slipping,鈥� Gowen recalled. 鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 have professional wrestling, I didn鈥檛 have anything. One day, thank God, my mother burst into my room because she was sick of it. That mama bear instinct takes over at the right time and at the right place.

鈥淪he said, 鈥榋ach, knock it off! You are not to be defined by what other people say you can and can鈥檛 do. That is not for them to decide, that is for you to decide. The history books in the library of the school that you go to are filled with people who were called crazy by those who were lazy. I鈥檒l be damned if I鈥檒l have a son that grows up to be lazy. If you want to be a professional wrestler, go be a professional wrestler.鈥� At that point, she spoke life into me. We need people who believe in us, even when we don鈥檛 believe in yourself.鈥�

Zach listened to his mother 鈥� like good sons do 鈥� and attended wrestling school. Only 19 at the time, he was contacted by a WWE representative about joining the professional ranks. He signed a three-year contract, debuted with Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper, then went on to wrestle John Cena, The Big Show, Brock Lesnar and Vince McMahon. He developed a huge following among fans on social media and became the WWE superstar he dreamed about as an 8-year-old.

But pro sports careers don鈥檛 last forever. The married father of four, however, did possess a powerful story, message and perspective to share with young people. He has traveled across the country working with more than 200,000 students, parents and teachers to share his experiences as an empowerment speaker.

鈥�Life isn鈥檛 about what happens to us; life is about how we respond to what happens to us,鈥� he said.

精东影业视频鈥檚 Diversion, Equity and Inclusion Committee joined DSS in presenting Gowen鈥檚 appearance on Tuesday.

To learn more about 精东影业视频鈥檚 DSS and CREST programs, visit /dss/index.php. For more information, email Trist at susan.trist@wnc.edu or phone 775-445-4459.