International motivational speaker and New York Times best-selling author Nick Vujicic (“voo-yi-chich”) will be a keynote speaker at RootsTech Connect 2021, a free global celebration of family and connection, to be held online 25–27 February.
RootsTech is hosted by FamilySearch, and sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Nick was born in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia. Without any medical explanation or warning, Nick came into the world with neither arms nor legs.
His parents told him at age six, “This must be God’s plan….You don’t know what you can achieve until you try. Go find your potential.” He began by vacuuming using his shoulder and his chin.
Initially, it was quite difficult for Nick and his family to find accommodations for someone without hands and legs. Victoria State law did not allow him to take admission in mainstream school because of his physical disability. After a change in legislation, he became the first physically disabled student of Australia to study in a regular school.
Throughout his childhood, at times almost overcome by hopelessness, Nick learned to deal with his disability, along with the challenges of school and adolescence, such as bullying, self-esteem issues, depression and loneliness.
Nick persevered through life’s challenges. He attended the Runcorn State High School, in Queensland, Australia, where he was the head boy. He was also part of the student council involved in humanitarian activities. Vujicic graduated from Griffith University in Queensland at the age of 21 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with a double major in accountancy and financial planning.
In 2005, Vujicic founded Life Without Limbs, an international non-profit organisation and ministry.
Now residing in the US, Nick is married and has four children. He says his faith in God, and the support of his family and friends have enabled him to find his purpose and discover key principles that turn obstacles into opportunities, making him one of the most sought-after keynote speakers in the world.
“Here I am, this is what I have. I am going to be thankful for what I have, and I am going to do my best to make a difference in this world,” he said. “We all can rise above adversity and overcome every disability of the heart and mind!”
Nick Vujicic is one of several keynote speakers at RootsTech Connect 2021.
Speakers from Australia and New Zealand, as well as from around the world, will be covering many interesting family history related topics.
The RootsTech family history conference has become the largest event of its kind in the world, with dozens of classes in multiple languages and a virtual marketplace and is expected to attract a large global audience.
Throughout the three-day online event, attendees will have the ability to interact with presenters, exhibitors and other attendees through live chat and Q&A sessions.
FamilySearch is a non-profit organization and is the world’s largest collection of free family records and resources. It is a free service for everyone to use.
Visit rootstech.org to register for the free virtual event.