Mesa College student Hermes Castro was riding his bicycle to work to train for a triathlon on the morning of Sept. 1, 2006. A drunken driver swerved from the oncoming lane over to the bike lane and struck Castro head-on, severely damaging his spine and paralyzing him from the waist down. His life would never be the same.

Castro has been in physical therapy and rehabilitation ever since, but his physical state has not stopped him from pursuing adventure.

Castro began attending San Diego Mesa College in 2008 with plans to study Hydrogeology. To obtain extra credit for his geology class, he attended a speech given on campus by British explorer, environmentalist and motivational speaker Sir Robert Swan.

Swan discovered the hole in the o-zone layer and is also the first man ever to walk both the North and South Poles. Swan’s speech focused on the environmental conservation of Antarctica, and the spreading of awareness about the continent’s precious resources. Castro told Swan his story and expressed his interest in Swan’s cause.

A few months and fundraisers later, Castro traveled to Antarctica with Swan and his crew in March 2009 and broke the mould by becoming the first paraplegic to explore Antarctica.

“I feel like I always learn more when I’m experiencing things outdoors,” Castro said. “I really enjoy hands-on learning and really seeing things for myself.”

Castro has undergone about three and a half years of intense physical therapy and rehabilitation since his debilitating accident. The mobility in his legs has increased dramatically; so much, in fact, that he has been able to walk. In fact, if he doesn’t move his legs enough, he experiences spasms at night.

“It’s a great sign that my legs want to move so bad that they do it on their own,” Castro said. “It’s gets kind of annoying because at night I can’t sleep sometimes if I don’t jump on the hand cycle first, but I know that’s good because I’m getting a lot more function in my legs and they’re feeling much better. It seems like everything’s coming together for me.”

Castro’s love for physical activity and experience have motivated him so much that he is considering changing his major from hydrogeology to physical therapy.

“I really love helping people, so I’ve been thinking about working at hospitals, working with kids, counseling, or something along those lines,” said Castro. “I think there’s something out there for me, I’ve just got to find it.”

Since his Antarctic excursion, Castro has been giving speeches to spread environmental awareness and tell his inspiring story. He was one of the featured speakers at the Breaking the Color Barrier in the Great Outdoors conference in Atlanta in September 2009 and has given many other lectures since, including some at elementary schools. He was also one of 12 influential students featured in the Rosa Parks Transit Center memorial bus stop at Mesa College’s east entrance-and he is standing in the picture.

Castro’s favorite sport is basketball. Since his accident, he has maintained his skill and love for the sport. He got involved with a wheelchair basketball team and competed in the 62nd annual National Championship Tournament held by the National Wheelchair Basketball Association in Denver in April 2010. The team finished seventeenth in the nation.

Castro recently drove up to Fallbrook to visit his old boss and few of his friends and he left his wheelchair at home.

“My buddies saw me and they almost wanted to cry when I walked in,” said Castro. “It was really neat. I’m really happy that I’m making so much progress because I’ve been working so hard, and it gives me faith that I’ll get to where I want to be, and that’s back on my bike.”