Kyle Akin ’08 Speaks Out

Shy, physically limited by cerebral palsy, and lacking self esteem, when Kyle Akin was in high school, he was told in an evaluation by an Indiana State Vocational Rehabilitation psychologist that he wouldn’t succeed in college.

That was then. Last spring he earned his bachelor’s degree from Holy Cross and today, he is so confident that he has become an inspirational speaker. What’s the difference?

Kyle explains to Connections, “As a freshman, I didn’t know what to expect from myself or other people, and I never really tried my hardest. But as I began to make real friends like my roommates Andy Buehl ‘08 and Dave Bendel ‘08, and got encouragement from my teachers, little by little I started to come out of my shell. I realized I could accomplish anything I wanted to if I put my mind to it.”

His Capstone speech was the culmination of his four year experience when he told family, friends, faculty and business leaders how he had grown and what he had learned about himself in the last four years. Using humor, sports analogies, and self-revelation, Kyle is a talented speaker who had the audience laughing and crying at the same time.

“Yeah, I’ve got challenges to overcome,” he said. “But I realized that everyone does. Some folks have a lot more to overcome than I do. But, now I believe that if you keep a positive attitude and believe in yourself, great things can happen.”

Kyle has teamed up with motivational speaker Charlie Adams to give speeches for businesses and schools and has already spoken in front of an audience of 460 students. Will Kyle become our next Rudy?

He may never tackle a running back, but he isn’t afraid to tackle life’s challenges. He won’t admit that a script is in the works, but don’t ever think he can’t.

If you would like to have Kyle speak to your group you can contact him at kakin17@yahoo.com or call 574-360-8566.