 Brooke Ellison was hit by a car in 1990 at
the age of 11 while she was on her way home from school. The accident left her
paralyzed from the neck down and ventilator-dependent. Despite her physical
situation, Brooke was determined to continue with her life. Her accomplishments
have included honors in poetry, science, math, and literature. Brooke Ellison's
most notable accomplishment, though, occurred in 2000, ten years after her
accident, when she graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University. Brooke
Ellison graduated with an A- average in cognitive neuroscience, a combined major
of psychology and biology. She gave a commencement address for her Harvard
graduation in June of 2000.
In January of 2002, Brooke Ellison and her
mother, Jean Ellison, published a book entitled The Brooke Ellison Story,
which documents their family’s experiences from the day of Brooke’s accident
until their graduation from Harvard in 2000. Their book was recently made into
a movie, directed by Christopher Reeve and aired on A&E on October 25, 2004.
Brooke Ellison, now 27, has also graduated from Harvard’s Kennedy School of
Government with a Masters degree in Public Policy and had been enrolled in the
Ph.D. program in political science at Stony Brook University.
Since her graduation from Harvard in 2000,
Brooke Ellison has worked as a public speaker, delivering the message of hope
and motivation, and strength in the face of obstacles. Her audiences have been
many and diverse, as she has spoken to members of the medical community,
business corporations, politicians, community members, students, and nonprofit
organizations, traveling across the country to do so. Brooke Ellison’s recent
and most notable engagements have included such opportunities as delivering a
congressional briefing on stem cells, serving as commencement speaker, and
participation in Bob Benia’s “Smart Talk” Women’s Speaker Series, which brought
her to audiences in Cincinnati and Minneapolis. She has also spoken to groups
in New Orleans, Washington, DC, Boston, Philadelphia, Hartford, CT, and New York
City. Although the specific message differs from audience to audience, Brooke
Ellison focuses her attention on hope and motivation, using her own experiences
as a vehicle to convey the message.
The details of Brooke Ellison’s life have
been widely covered in such publications as The New York Times, People
Magazine, USA Today, Newsday, Biography Magazine, and
The International Herald Tribune, as well as, such programs as Entertainment
Tonight, Access Hollywood, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show,
and Larry King Live. In each of these appearances, Brooke Ellison has expressed
her desire to have an impact on the world, stating “wherever there is a
condition of discouragement or inopportunity, that’s where I hope to be.”
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