Erin Mullen, a former softball student-athlete at Belmont, currently interns for the United States Olympic Committee.

I began my internship at the United States Olympic Committee, specifically U.S. Paralympics, not really knowing what all goes into being a Paralympian. I was unaware of all the hardships and adversity these world class athletes had to endure during their rise to the top. However, their stories are remarkable. They included car accidents; birth defects; wounded soldiers and medical mysteries. Each their own, full of heartbreak, realization and hope, I was truly humbled by their words. My job at U.S. Paralympics did not seem like work but just a step in raising awareness and aiding in the growth of the Paralympic Movement. I quickly made it my personal duty to help those with physical disabilities achieve their sport dreams.

Often confused with the Special Olympics dealing specifically with intellectual disabilities, U.S. Paralympics involves athletes with physical disabilities such as limb loss or limb difference, cerebral palsy and visual impairments. Each Paralympian goes through an extensive classification process before competition that includes physical evaluations by highly trained physicians. Each classification group contains athletes with similar disabilities in order to ensure fairness.

During my internship I met and worked alongside some amazing individuals all sharing the same passion for advancing the Paralympic Movement. I feel blessed to have been a part of the planning during the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. My duties mainly dealt with logistics such as setting up air and ground transportation; filing Olympic Training Center requests (when individuals want to use our facilities, we have to request approval in advance) and apparel distribution for various team members and staff.

As a collegiate softball player at Belmont University, I took for granted travel, food and hotel arrangements. I did not think much about the extensive procedures involved with setting up these necessities. Now, being on the administrative side, I realize all the time and effort it took my former coaches to arrange the aforementioned requirements. Immediately following my experience, I personally thanked my coaches for their dedication.

So what does it take to be a true Paralympian? To be a Paralympian it takes more than hard work and dedication to training. It takes passion and devotion to those that you love. It takes modesty and pride in wearing a sweet graphically designed prosthetic. It takes confidence but not arrogance. But most of all it takes the willingness to learn and awareness of your surroundings.

I leave U.S. Paralympics wiser, inspired and humbled by my experience. These athletes are truly remarkable and I wish them all the best in their future endeavors. I look forward to the future advancement of the Paralympic Movement and will continue to raise awareness throughout my prospective career.