(Editor‚Äôs note: Terrell Walton told his story at Saturday‚Äôs (April 7, 2007) Youth Peace Conference from a wheel chair.  He let his classmates know the reality of gang life and was greeted with a standing ovation at the end of his speech. Here is his story in his own words.)

Hello, my name is Terrell Walton.  I‚Äôm a senior at Somerville High School.   Four years   ago, when I was living in Dorchester, the kids I hung out with had problems with people from other neighborhoods.  There was a lot of violence going back and forth that led to a guy from a rival neighborhood being killed.  Because I was a known person from my area I was shot in retaliation.

Before that, I thought being known was a good thing.  I had a reputation as a hot head that you would not want to mess with.  People respected me and looked up to me.  Like most teenage kids I thought I couldn‚Äôt be touched.  I thought that nothing could hurt me.  Even the day that I got shot, I still felt that I was invincible.  I chose not to run.  I still believed in my mind that nothing was going to hurt me.  I knew the kids were coming back to see me and I could have chosen to stay in the house. 

But I chose to stay outside, thinking there was a chance the kids weren‚Äôt coming back.  But they did come back and shot me five times in front of my family at a family event.  Before that day, I was not afraid of anyone and I was not afraid to die.  But what I did not know is that there is something in between.

I guess I had to learn this lesson for myself, the hard way.  After I was shot, I was in the hospital for two years.  During that time I lost four friends to shootings.  I have seen what the streets can do, and what it has shown me is that no one is invincible.  You do some things and they put you on a path you do not want to be on.   The consequences are so much greater than you can imagine.  We need to stop living in a way that leads to so much suffering and loss.

I decided that after my accident it was time for me to make some positive changes in my life.  Going back to school was one of those changes.  Although it is not easy to get up everyday and go, I do my best to make it here.  I have actually never done as well in school as I am doing now.  I have learned that my education is the key to my future, and even though I am in a wheelchair there are lots of opportunities for me to succeed.  After all I have been through I am hopeful about the future.  And I‚Äôm dedicated to making the most of the life I have been given.

I finally got it, but I had to lose my ability to move to learn it.  I urge you to learn a lesson from my experience.  You are not invincible and you only get one chance.  Use it wisely.

Thank you.