Tamara Mena is a bilingual motivational speaker, actress, host, model, ambassador, survivor and eternal optimist. Tamara was born and raised in Leon, Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 13. At the age of 19, she suffered a horrific car accident that left Tamara paralyzed from the mid-chest down and, unfortunately, killed her boyfriend. On a cold October night, they were headed to Rosarito beach. Their plans were to go dancing and they did not want to drink and drive, so they decided to grab a taxi in Tijuana, Mexico. They were almost to their destination, when they randomly struck a horse that was standing in the middle of the road. From this impact, Tamara became paralyzed, and unfortunately, her boyfriend and taxi driver were instantly killed. It was a miracle Tamara survived this accident. From surviving a near death experience, Tamara chose to dedicate her life to share her message of hope, and above all, motivate people to believe in themselves. Despite the great tragedy she endured, she never lost sight of her dreams and goals; Tamara retook her studies, attended California State University Stanislaus, where she majored in Communication Studies, received numerous academic awards, and despite several hospitalizations, graduated with highest honors, summa cum laude. Tamara’s courageous spirit continues to stay up, even with all the obstacles she’s had to face and overcome, such as surviving two car accidents.