Stephenson to motivate UNCP students, local schools at GPAC

By Jeshanna Ayala
Staff Writer

Motivational speaker and author Sean Stephen-son will speak at GPAC on Sept. 29 as part of the Robeson County Public School’s Annual Very Special Arts Festival. His lecture is entitled “What To Do When Life Sucks.”

Stephenson is also scheduled to speak Sept. 30 in the U.C. The focus of the lecture will be “Lead With Confidence.” LSOP Coordinator Melanie Clark hopes that the event will draw interest from the freshman class on campus.

Stephenson was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a rare and very severe condition that causes a person’s bones to be extremely fragile and underdeveloped. When Stephenson was born, doctors did not believe that he would live through the night.

Eighteen years later he attended DePaul University and majored in Political Science.

Stephenson has spoken across the United States and in several countries. He has appeared on Oprah and CNN and has addressed the U.S. Senate.

Other accomplishments include his book “How Youth Can Succeed” as well as his online magazine “Elevation.”

The show in GPAC is open to the public and local schools.

Students and faculty who are interested in attending should contact GPAC at 521-6287 for ticket price information.