He does not tell jokes to get attention. He never raises his voice to an auditorium filled with high school students. He speaks quietly to many young people as if he were speaking to just one. His mere physical presence commands his audience.

Jaws drop. Eyes stare.Rohan Murphy has no legs.Yet he "stands tall" to tell others how he has turned a disability into his ability to succeed as a scholar and as an athlete.On Tuesday, Murphy brought his life's story to Lehighton Area High School. He began by telling the students he was born with "his legs on backwards.""My kneecaps were in the back," Murphy says. "The doctor said there was no way I could walk or live this way without having further complications so I had multiple surgeries to have my legs amputated."Murphy recalls that after his surgery, he was a sickly child. His mother home-schooled him until the third grade, when his condition really hit him hard."When I entered public school in East Islip. Long Island, it was then that I realized I was different than all the other kids and that I could never play sports. I loved sports, too. I was named Rohan after a famous cricket player. My mother told me I had to learn to live with it and to move on."Then in the eighth grade, a physical education teacher changed Murphy's life. He was asked to first be the manager of the soccer team and then the wrestling team.'Accepting myself'"One day he pulled me out of class and asked me to become a wrestler. After telling him no thanks several times, I finally agreed to try it just to please him."Murphy's mom told him there were too many risks involved."I understood her fears, but I had to learn that to do anything out of the ordinary involves risk."He also stopped wearing his prosthetic legs in the mall. "I was tired of being made fun of and bullied. When I became a wrestler, and my teammates accepted me, I accepted myself for the first time."Wrestling returned to Murphy a tremendous sense of self worth.He demonstrated a wrestling takedown move on the auditorium stage with Zach Kemmerer and Tegan Durishin, Lehighton juniors from the Indian wrestling team."He's amazing, but very humble too," says Kemmerer. "People often crumble when they face diversity, but he used his handicap to his advantage.""He's a cool guy," says Durishin.As a wrestler, success did not come early to Murphy. He finished 2-13 his first season on the JV team.His coach didn't give up and neither did he.He trained harder.After pinning his opponent in his first varsity match in front of a packed gym, Murphy went on to complete a 25-6 record.He still wasn't satisfied.Murphy attended a 28-day wrestling camp in Minnesota where he walked 100 yards, then 15 miles on his hands. He returned with a new goal."I wanted to graduate from a big time university and continue my wrestling career," he says.Murphy told his guidance counselor he wanted to attend Penn State. He was told it was too big a challenge on too many levels.Get goals, not excusesHe tells the Lehighton students to never get discouraged. Nothing comes easily. Goals require hard work, dedication, and sacrifice."Ask yourself. Do you want to be average, good, or great at what you do? It's the small decisions you make everyday that define who you are in the big picture."He pauses and quietly adds, "There are no make up exams in the real world. There are no do-overs. You don't want to look back and have regrets."After his acceptance at Penn State, Murphy emailed the head wrestling coach to ask for a tryout."I was invited to his office, but I didn't tell him in the email that I had no legs," he says. "With his permission I did a take-down on him right in the office. Soon after, I made the team."As he raises his massive arms above his head, Murphy carries his pride with humility despite having been featured on ABC's "20-20" program. In addition to living with no legs, he had his fingers surgically separated at age 5. He is now his high school's record holder for pull-ups.His accomplishments attracted Nike athletic footwear who made him a role model for its "Just do it!" campaign.OvercomingHis message goes far beyond the wrestling mat. Underneath one of his photographs are the words, "Half the body, twice the strength.""I was told that wherever you want to go in this world, it's best to fly because you get there quicker. Well, I learned that if you can't fly then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. It doesn't matter how long it takes. Make no excuses. Persevere. Overcome adversity."The message hit home."I learned from him that athletic success comes from working harder in the off seasons," says junior, Tyler Cann, junior wrestler for the Tribe.Wrestler Connor Frey said, "His ambition is priceless. Work harder than you think you ever could and you'll be surprised what you can accomplish."Senior Sydney Gamby was inspired. "Now when someone tells me I can't improve at something, I will use it as motivation. I am lazy by nature, but when there is a problem at home, I am going to offer my help."Chris Martino, who aspires to a military career after college graduation, runs for the Lehighton track team."As a runner, I obviously can't imagine not having legs. I love to run. Now I realize how lucky I am."Senior Celina Fital said, "I love the words he lives by."