Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, June 2, 2025. As part of the activities to welcome parents of incoming students, Universidad Panamericana Universidad Panamericana campus Aguascalientes hosted the master conference What can't I what?given by the renowned lecturer Fritz Thompsonwhose inspiring story of self-improvement and resilience deeply moved the audience.
The event was organized by the Admissions area, and its purpose was to generate a space for reflection on the values that support a full and purposeful life. the values that support a full and purposeful life..
Resilience in the face of adversity
During the conference, Thompson recounted with honesty, humor and hope the car accident that, in 2001, changed his life forever. A pickup truck crashed into his vehicle, causing a cervical spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic.
From that moment on, his life became a daily struggle not only to regain physical functions, but to rebuild himself emotionally and spiritually. "I couldn't move, I couldn't feel anything from the neck down, I couldn't breathe on my own, and the doctors told me that's how I would live the rest of my life. I was 33 years old"he recalled to a moved audience.
Far from giving up, Fritz shared how he discovered that resilience is not a quality that you are born with, but a process that any human being can go through.. "The key word is resilience: the ability to return to a full life after an adverse event. We can all do it, but adversity needs students who are willing to learn"he said.
Keys to a purposeful life
Fritz Thompson shared with the attendees four fundamental keys that changed his vision of life and that today he transmits through his conferences throughout the country:
- List of blessings: Recognize all the good you have, even in the midst of pain.
- Have a "why": To find a deep reason that drives you to move forward.
- Living with virtues and values: Such as faith, willingness, acceptance, forgiveness and attitude.
- Never stop dreaming: Because, as he himself has shown, even with physical limitations you can conquer new challenges, such as becoming a triathlete.
Emotionally, he assured: "My story taught me that happiness does not depend on circumstances, but on attitude. No one can renounce his or her responsibility to choose happiness.".
Through moving and sometimes heartbreaking anecdotes, such as his first months without being able to move or speak, his first bath after months of prostration, or the story of his friend Nacho, another quadriplegic who could not pay for his therapy, he showed how even in the worst moments one can find a reason to be thankful.
A powerful message for parents
In a particularly poignant moment, Thompson explained that the arrival of his son Stefan in 2009 was symbolic of the closing of a cycle of pain. "The day my son was born, the chapter of quadriplegia ended. Life gave me another chance. And today I come to share it so that others don't have to suffer to learn what I learned.".
Addressed to parents, the message took on an even deeper meaning: "Our children learn more from how we face life than from what we tell them. If you want strong children, live with purpose, with gratitude and with conviction. You can always".
With this event, Universidad Panamericana reaffirms its commitment to an education that goes beyond academics, promoting spaces for emotional formation and reflection on the meaning of life and human development.
Learn more about Panamericana's educational model at: https://www.up.edu.mx/sobre-la-universidad-modelo-educativo/