Today@Sam Article
Alumni Spotlight: Broderick Nixon
April 11, 2025
SHSU Media Contact: Mikah Boyd
By Damikka Willis
Taking the leap of faith to put yourself out into the world can be nerve-wracking. However, Sam Houston State University alumnus Broderick Nixon decided to take the challenges of life by the horns. He achieved this by graduating with a bachelor’s in integrated studies. During undergrad, he started writing his debut book, “Broderick Bear Learns to Ride,” and created a motivational speaking business named Dreams to Actuality LLC.
Prior to becoming an author, Nixon dreamt of pursuing higher education from a young age and was excited to find a community that aligned with his goals.
“I wasn’t able to go outside and play with other children due to my disability, so I would watch a lot of TV,” said Nixon, who was born with cerebral palsy. “I would always see college advertisements during commercial breaks and that led me to do research on applying for higher education.”
During Nixon’s high school years, his peers aspired to be doctors, police officers or firefighters, but he was unsure of what his professional life would entail. He only knew that he wanted to empower children with disabilities.
After attending Lone Star College, he surfed the web and applied to different institutions that would get him out of his comfort zone.
“When I transferred from Lone Star to Sam Houston, I was terrified," said Nixon. "I knew no one and I’m not the most outgoing person, so it took some time to put myself out there."
Despite his fears, Nixon made his way to campus, where he met faculty and staff that supported him and helped him determine his career trajectory.
“Her name was Karen, and she was a financial aid advisor. She taught me a lot during the transition period to Sam Houston,” said Nixon. “She reassured me that she would always be there if I needed someone to talk to.”
He also found SHSU’s Small Business Development Center (SHSU SBDC). Hosted by the College of Business Administration, the center is a premier business assistance resource program that offers no-cost, one-on-one business advising, industry-specific expertise and other support services for the community. When he was first launching Dreams to Actuality in 2021, Nixon worked with SHSU SBDC to learn where to start. By working with the center, he learned to manage his new business’s bookkeeping, taxes, financial projections and marketing. By continuing to work with SHSU SBDC, he learned how he could become a published author by releasing his first book through Amazon.com.
As his interest in literature grew throughout his academic career, Nixon knew that he could only improve his skills by practicing his weaknesses. He learned many ways to develop his writing as an author and student while navigating through the challenges of having cerebral palsy. Due to his condition, he is only able to use one hand. After a full day of tackling tasks and completing coursework, his hand is exhausted. He noticed how it took him longer to complete certain tasks compared to his classmates and knew he’d have to work even harder to achieve his academic goals.
“The challenge is attempting to accomplish tasks on my own, even when my body doesn’t always coordinate,” Nixon said. “Being born with cerebral palsy, my mind believes I can do certain things, but my body has limitations. It may take me more time to do tasks, but I keep pushing forward.”
Nixon recognizes how creating and sharing stories about children with disabilities can build empathy and teach them to understand different perspectives. He wants his readers to learn that people with disabilities are just like them with the same dreams, ambitions and passions. Nixon also wants to inspire others to keep going and pursue their passions even if there are hurdles and accommodation is not provided when needed.
“As someone with cerebral palsy, I know how it feels to be left out and looked at oddly. Even when you feel happy, people still try to feel sorry for you,” said Nixon. “Having a disability can be lonely due to feeling that people don’t understand me, but anything is possible as long as you try and that’s why I wanted to pursue my book series and business.”
While Nixon is looking for a publisher contract, his book is currently selling on amazon and he’s planning to release two more this month.
In the future, he plans to expand his stories from books to the big screen. With this oncoming shift, he’s looking forward to sharing his journey with larger audiences. By doing so, he wants people to learn the nuances of living with a disability, and that no matter your mobility, you can turn your dreams into reality.
“I have turned almost every dream I ever had into a reality and want people to see the reality of me, because that could potentially give them the motivation to pursue their dreams no matter what,” Nixon said.
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