New York Times Best-Selling Author Shares Story of Resilience at Rasmussen College

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For fans of Cheryl Strayed, her recent visit to Rasmussen College was a chance to meet the New York Times best-selling author and hear her story firsthand. For those who haven’t read her memoir Wild, the author’s appearance turned into a lesson of resilience and strength.Strayed stopped by the Rasmussen College Blaine campus on Wed., March 20, 2013 and spoke to a room full of students, faculty and members of the public. The Minnesota native shared stories of growing up in northern Minnesota and the struggles she faced with divorce and drugs after her mother’s sudden death when Strayed was just 22-years-old. “I sort of reached bottom and was no longer the woman my mom raised me to be,” said Strayed. “I thought I was honoring my mom by self-destructing, but I later realized the way to honor my mom was to move on and thrive.” And move on is exactly what Strayed did in the form of a 1,100 mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s the basis of her memoir Wild, which gained widespread acclaim in 2012, including selection for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. Along her hike, Strayed faced rattlesnakes and black bears, as well as intense heat and record snowfalls. At times, her adventures are so intense you wonder if she’ll make it out alive. “Growing up in northern Minnesota, I thought I knew the wilderness, but the truth is I had never been backpacking before,” said Strayed. “I couldn’t even lift my pack at first because it was too heavy.” One member of the audience asked Strayed about what it was like being a woman alone in the wilderness. “There were definitely moments when I thought I wasn’t going to make it, but things were different back then,” said Strayed. “If anything, being a woman may have actually helped because people ...

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