LeadBLUE: Wellesley Athletics Welcomes Adrianne Haslet on October 16, 2023
WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley College Athletics will welcome Adrianne Haslet as the next guest in its LeadBLUE Speaker Series on Monday, October 16 at 7:30 PM ET in the Jewett Auditorium. The event is sponsored by Friends of Wellesley Athletics and is open to all student-athletes and members of the Wellesley College campus community.
Adrianne Haslet was a professional ballroom dancer when she survived the terrorist attack at the 2013 Boston Marathon where she lost her left leg. She quickly rose to meet her daily challenges with fierce determination and Boston Strong strength. A full time dancer at the peak of her career, she had to learn an entirely new way to navigate her daily life. In the wake of the terror, she has become a global inspiration. Appearing in her own CNN documentary, the cover of Sports Illustrated, People, and Time magazine. She has been featured on all major media outlets globally. Adrianne hopes her emotional honesty will serve as an example to others looking to overcome adversity in their own lives.
"I refuse to be called a victim. A victim is defined by what happened in their life. I am a survivor, defined by how I live my life."
– Adrianne Haslet
She has spoken alongside then Vice President Biden, President Bill Clinton, the President of Nepal, and her debut TED talk has over 18+ million views. She travels the globe giving Keynote talks to thousands, including the commencement address at Baylor College of Medicine, talks in Kenya, Ecuador, Nepal, Ireland, Copenhagen, and a tour across Canada. She has been named one of Cosmo's Most Powerful Women, and Bing's most Inspirational Women. Her most cherished award was being honored by the ADL at the Kennedy Center for her work speaking out against terrorism, anti-semitism, and hate.
Adrianne has a documentary detailing her first year as an amputee titled The Survivor Diaries which she did with Anderson Cooper. She speaks out against restrictions to Medicare, spearheaded the campaign to turn over the 'one leg a lifetime' law in New York, as well as Medicare's proposal to decline prosthetic coverage. She has since become a distance runner, and ran in multiple Boston Marathons, most recently in April, coming in 4th place in the division she advocated for for six years. Just two months later, Adrianne took the win at the B.A.A. 10k.
Wellesley's LeadBLUE program cultivates the growth of leaders within athletics, in the classroom, and beyond. In alignment with the mission of the college, this program prepares student-athletes for effective, practical leadership, instills the values of discipline, critical thinking, and responsibility in their pursuit of excellence.
Wellesley Athletics strives for excellence at the conference, regional, and national levels, while providing opportunities for students to achieve their potential and learn the values of discipline, leadership, critical thinking, and responsibility to oneself and others.