Practice English Speaking&Listening with: 2019 Chancellor Award for Disability Service - Student/Postdoc/Resident Category

(slow music)

- [Raziel] I've come to a place

where I have finally been able

to use my story to break those barriers, those stigmas,

the perceptions that people have of

what it looks like to have a disability,

and have a sense of pride and acceptance.

- I nominated Raziel Rizzo

for the Chancellor's Award for Disability Services

because she's a tireless advocate

for students with disabilities.

She is an educator, she is a role model,

and she's truly inspirational in her approach to life.

When she was 13 years old, she had surgery

that left her with a spinal cord injury

and paraplegia from the waist down.

She could've gone two directions after that experience

and she worked really hard

in the face of physical challenges

to make it a positive experience

and gain empathy for individuals

who are going through something similar

because of the early experience that she had.

Raziel is a tireless advocate for others in the community.

She truly embodies the UCSF PRIDE values

of professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity,

and excellence, and I would love to see her

share that across the country.

- Being able to use something that was so traumatic

and being able to use that shifted my entire perspective

on life and say, how am I gonna utilize this moment,

this experience, and make a difference?

It's the why and it reminds me about why I'm doing this.

(inspiring music)