35e3dcfef85e95f8eef94c322d24411a.jpg

HILLSBOROUGH: Paralympian Galli talks today at RVCC

   Paralympics star Jessica Galli will talk today, Thursday, Oct. 18, from 1-2:20 p.m. at Raritan Valley Community College in a free event in the Atrium at the college’s Branchburg campus.
   Ms. Galli will discuss how motivation and perseverance serve as the engine that drives us forward in reaching our goals, whether it’s competing at the Olympics or attaining educational or career goals.
   The Hillsborough native was disabled as a result of a car accident when she was seven years old. She went on to win medals in wheelchair racing at Paralympic games from 2000-12.
   Galli won three medals in Beijing in 2008, including the gold in the 400-meter event, with three silver medals and one bronze. That total has remained the highest for any Paralympic track and field athlete to date. She recently returned from the London Paralympics, where she won a bronze medal in the women’s 800-meter event.
   Ms. Galli credits hard work and her family for her success.
   “”Her dad was her coach and when she didn’t want to practice, he kept pushing her. Galli graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in kinesiology and a graduate degree in health policy and administration. She has served as the Summer Paralympic representative on the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Advisory Council.
   Following the presentation, Ms. Galli will informally meet and greet RVCC students and the public.
   For information, contact Barbara Vitale at [email protected] or Russell Barefoot, RVCC Director of Student Life, at [email protected].
   The event is part of this year’s Leadership Series.