Motivating Change

Karin Korb (M.S. '03) was an active do-gooder long before she'd devoted her adult life to lifting others up, the kind of person who, as a child, invited the homeless to her house for meals, became the first altar girl in the state of New Jersey and even thought about becoming a nun. But when she broke her back at 17 while practicing a routine gymnastics vault and lost the use of both of her legs, it cemented the notion that her life would have a special purpose.

 

"If you have a platform, I believe you have a social responsibility to facilitate change," explains Korb, who went on to become the No. 1-ranked women's wheelchair tennis player in the United States and use her notoriety as a springboard to promote physical and spiritual wellness as a public speaker and motivational leader. "And you know what? If I'm the only person with a discernable disability that you will ever meet in your life, I'd better represent."

 

And represent she does, cranking out workweeks that are anything but typical and sage insights that inspire her listeners to re-think the way they see their own lives - and their place in the world. Still, she doesn't consider herself to be all that extraordinary.

 

These days, Korb is pouring her infectious positivity and seemingly limitless energy into "Divability: Mine, Yours, Ours," an organization she founded to empower young women and girls with disabilities. Activities range from supervised sleepovers, in which girls open up and share their struggles via overnight chat sessions, to confidence-building movement workshops with the Atlanta-based Full Radius Dance troupe, where Korb herself is a seasoned company member.

 

To continue reading about Korb, click here. 

 

Photo caption: Karin Korb uses her notoriety as a springboard to promote physical and spiritual wellness as a public speaker and motivational leader.