Chris Waddell ’84 Inspires Students to Rethink the Labels They Wear
On Wednesday, October 8, Eaglebrook welcomed back alumnus Chris Waddell ’84 as a featured speaker for the Hilly Chase Speaker Series. In a talk titled “Nametags & Resilience,” Chris invited students to consider how we label ourselves and how adversity can reshape our identity.
Chris opened with the idea of nametags: the labels we wear, such as “student,” “athlete,” “jock,” “artist,” and so on, that tell others how to perceive us, and often how we perceive ourselves. But when his life changed dramatically after a skiing accident, those labels were stripped away, and he had to reimagine who he was.
Drawing from his journey, Chris framed his message around four foundational questions, the Four S’s of Resilience:
1. Self: Are you a victim or a survivor?
Drawing from his journey, Chris framed his message around four foundational questions, the Four S’s of Resilience:
1. Self: Are you a victim or a survivor?
2. Situation: Is this overwhelming, or is it a challenge?
3. Support: Are you alone or part of a team?
4. Strategy: Do you have one path or many paths forward?
Chris shared that 362 days after his accident, he taught himself to ski again using a mono-ski. He also addressed a poignant student question: “Do you regret the accident?” His answer was firm—no. He explained that had the accident never happened, he likely would never have become the best in the world at anything. His main message to students was, “It’s not what happens to you; it’s what you do with what happens to you.”
He went on to describe his attempt to become the first (nearly) unassisted paraplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. Though part of the climb required being carried over more than 100 feet of boulders, he later reflected that such “failures” can unlock deeper strength. As his guide on the mountain reminded him, “No one climbs a mountain alone.”
After his talk, Chris spent time with students, answering questions and signing copies of his children’s book Is It Lonely to Be a Four-Leaf Clover? He also recorded an episode for the student-run podcast A View From the Hill (now published).
A keynote speaker, motivational storyteller, and Paralympic champion, Chris has earned 13 Paralympic medals, appeared on national television, and founded the One Revolution Foundation, which promotes his Nametags framework.
We are grateful to Chris for returning to The Hill to challenge our community to look beyond labels, embrace vulnerability, and ask: Which nametags will we choose to wear?
Watch his full presentation HERE.
Chris shared that 362 days after his accident, he taught himself to ski again using a mono-ski. He also addressed a poignant student question: “Do you regret the accident?” His answer was firm—no. He explained that had the accident never happened, he likely would never have become the best in the world at anything. His main message to students was, “It’s not what happens to you; it’s what you do with what happens to you.”
He went on to describe his attempt to become the first (nearly) unassisted paraplegic to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. Though part of the climb required being carried over more than 100 feet of boulders, he later reflected that such “failures” can unlock deeper strength. As his guide on the mountain reminded him, “No one climbs a mountain alone.”
After his talk, Chris spent time with students, answering questions and signing copies of his children’s book Is It Lonely to Be a Four-Leaf Clover? He also recorded an episode for the student-run podcast A View From the Hill (now published).
A keynote speaker, motivational storyteller, and Paralympic champion, Chris has earned 13 Paralympic medals, appeared on national television, and founded the One Revolution Foundation, which promotes his Nametags framework.
We are grateful to Chris for returning to The Hill to challenge our community to look beyond labels, embrace vulnerability, and ask: Which nametags will we choose to wear?
Watch his full presentation HERE.
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