Wreck survivor, wheelchair dancer to speak at MJC series

Tamara Mena will speak about grit and survival at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Mary Stuart Rogers Center on the Modesto Junior College West Campus.

At 19, Mena was in a horrific wreck that killed her boyfriend and left her paralyzed from the midchest down. But she fought her way back to being able to speak again, and regained her health. She graduated from MJC and California State University, Stanislaus, and launched her career as a motivational speaker and TV host.

“I’ve always been passionate about motivating people. I think with everything happening in our community and the new (presidential) administration, now it means even more to motivate young people and teenagers,” said Mena, who’s 30 and living in Los Angeles.

“At first, in the hospital, everything was such a shock. I was grieving the death of my boyfriend,” she said. “But I’ve always had a really positive attitude, thank God, thanks to my family. I started to notice it had a real effect on people.”

As she told her story, the positive reactions helped her to realize her dream was to inspire others. Mena is bilingual, having emigrated from Mexico at 13, and graduated summa cum laude with a communications degree.

She moved to L.A. to pursue a career in broadcasting, but her job search also became a story of survival.

“I didn’t realize I was going to face as much discrimination,” Mena said. “There’s still not enough awareness. There’s still a lot of misperceptions.”

Her answer was to create her own opportunity, through a YouTube channel series called See Beyond TV. She has covered a models-with-disabilities fashion show, wheelchair dance events, female survivors and other celebrations of life lived with a difference.

“I’m not going to wait for a network to be ready. It’s about creating your own opportunities and not giving up, doing what you love,” Mena said.

“I’m producing my own content. I know a lot of people whose story deserves to be told,” she said. “At the end of the day, if I’m using my voice – that I’m lucky enough to get back – and I can have a positive impact, that’s great.”

The speaker series, offered by the MJC Office of Campus Life and Student Learning, features local community members who have overcome challenges and obstacles to achieve their goals. The community is invited to come hear these stories of inspiration and motivation.

The final event in the Positive People Speaker Series will feature Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Ruben Villalobos at 6 p.m. April 6 in the Mary Stuart Roger Student Learning Center.

This story was originally published March 11, 2017 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Wreck survivor, wheelchair dancer to speak at MJC series."