WELLESLEY, MASS. (WHDH) - Jake Thibeault, who was paralyzed from the waist down by an injury suffered in a hockey game at Milton Academy in 2021, used a walker to make his way across the stage at Babson College on Saturday to deliver the commencement address.
“We must take risks, be resilient, love our people fiercely,” he said, “and when progress feels at its smallest, always remember that inches still move you forward.”
Thibeault added, “Being up here today is not something I take lightly, not because I have all the answers or I’ve mastered the art of business or a balance sheet or an income statement, but instead because we have learned something about resilience.”
Thibeault said he aimed to be able to walk by himself by the time he graduated from college, a goal he accomplished through rehab.
“My philosophy is there are no bad days,” he said. “I don’t say this for me to be able to sleep well at night but because we all have at least one good moment every day, sometimes it just takes a change in perspective.”
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