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Born premature and later diagnosed with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, Cristina Cortez offers this inspiring about how we need to watch that we do not build our own walls of limitation but build bridges to our capabilities and our community, instead. Cristina Cortez was born premature and later diagnosed with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. Being a person who happens to have a disability, she has sidestepped difficulties and lives life to the fullest. In May 2015, she graduated from Hofstra University with a double-major in English Creative Writing & History with a minor in Latin American & Caribbean Studies, Summa Cum Laude and Highest Honors with Distinction. She also is a member of Alpha Delta Pi, Honors Society for students with disabilities, Phi Alpha Theta, History Honors Society, Sigma Tau Delta, English Honors Society, and Phi Beta Kappa, Liberal Arts Honors Society (the nation’s oldest liberal arts and sciences honors society) in recognition for her high-quality performance and pursuit of the study of English and History. She pursues a Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing & Poetics at University of Washington Bothell. Cristina Cortez is a writer and speaker and believes that we all can make our mark on the world, and liThis talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

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