A tory of determination, recovery and purpose<\/h2>\n
Seven years ago, Rocky Fernandez\u2019s life changed in an instant.<\/p>\n
The 40-year-old Army Veteran was in school, working toward his future, when a car accident left him paralyzed and threw his life plans off course. What followed were years of grueling challenges, including multiple long hospital stays, a serious infection and the daily reality of living with limited mobility. Today, he is paralyzed and cannot eat by himself. But this spring, he rolled across the finish line in the best way possible: He graduated with a degree in petroleum engineering from Houston City College.<\/p>\n
Keeping the faith<\/h2>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not gonna lie, it was hard to have faith after all these setbacks,\u201d Fernandez said. \u201cBut I learned to take my time and just get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fernandez credits his success to three things: never giving up, believing in himself and taking full advantage of the resources available to him through the Department of Veterans Affairs.<\/p>\n
At the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center <\/a>in Houston, he found not just medical care, but a team of people committed to helping him move forward.<\/p>\n Shaun Smith, his vocational counselor at VA, was one of them. Smith worked alongside Fernandez to remove the practical barriers standing between him and the classroom, and says the determination he witnessed in Fernandez was amazing.<\/p>\n \u201cRocky never gave up and has an incredible way of not taking his eye off the prize\u201d Smith said. \u201cHe is a true pleasure to work with.\u201d<\/p>\nEyes on the prize<\/h2>\n