Lessons from Jen Bricker

Robert M. Beren Academy student Deborah Brown meets inspirational gymnast Jen Bricker.

This summer, I went to a camp called Youth Rally. The camp brought in a motivational speaker one night, to prove to the campers that they can do anything, and this speaker did just that. The motivational speaker was Jen Bricker, an accomplished gymnast and aerialist, who was born with no legs.

That’s right, she has won medals and competitions in gymnastics with no legs. Jen shared her story with Youth Rally, and told us the trick to keeping her positive attitude and never giving up, even when what she wanted to do seemed impossible. For more of her story, watch this inspiring video. 

When I listened to Jen speak, I was amazed at how enthusiastic she was about everything. She had such a positive outlook on life, and didn’t let anything stop her, and this was because Jen never said “can’t”. She never said “I can’t do this because I have no legs.” Instead, she said “That made it harder, but I kept trying.” Jen Bricker has achieved things that most people with all four limbs would never dream of achieving, because she follows that one rule: never say “can’t”. 

I think Jen’s message is very important and relevant to people everywhere, especially students. When I try to do something because I know that I can, I achieve my goal. As a high school student going into my junior year at Robert M. Beren Academy, I know that this moral is true. I have had some challenging classes and assignments, and I have heard that 11th grade is the hardest year in high school. I will take multiple AP’s this year, take the SAT and ACT, and I will make important decisions about where I will go after I graduate.

I think if I keep Jen’s lesson in mind, and I never say that I can’t do something, I will have a much easier time accomplishing things. 

Jen’s rule is something that can come in handy for all students, not just myself. As we begin a new year in school, one more challenging than we have faced yet, I hope everyone reading this keeps Jennifer Bricker in mind and never says “can’t”.