Ray Grandoit Talks “Motivation” with MHC Boston

 

Ray shared how he began his participation in PYD programs, and the challenges he faced when he was paralyzed at age 14 with spinal meningitis.  Ray looked at being paralyzed as a blessing, he was alive and able to do everything anyone else could, just in a different way, including playing basketball and running his own company. He joined PYD’s Young Entrepreneurs Program through his school, and worked to develop his own business. At  age 16, he was chosen by a High School teacher to participate in the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) class. This class gave Ray the spark to launch his own entrepreneurial endeavors which Ray used as an opportunity to start a clothing line, Ray Grand Apparel, www.raygrand.com. The company Ray Grand Apparel is the celebration of overcoming adversity expressed through clothing.

Ray’s message to the current MHC participants is to “find what makes you happy, and don’t stop working until you achieve your dreams.” He talked about  how all his dreams to play in the NBA motivated him to keep playing basketball.Ray earned a full scholarship to Oklahoma State University to play wheelchair basketball which gave him an opportunity to pursue a degree in Entrepreneurship.  He explained that keeping physically fit  is a way to keep the mind positive and healthy. MHC participants shared their favorite ways of keeping active, such as dancing and soccer. Ray challenged everyone in MHC to think of what they want to be, and then encouraged them to think of the steps they will need to take to achieve their goals.