Former Red Sox Great Mo Vaughn Motivates Curry Students

Former American League MVP and Boston Red Sox slugger Mo Vaughn is best known for his skills at bat, but he recently hit one out of the park at Curry College where he spoke to students about aiming for the big leagues in life.

"Do not let anybody dictate to you what you can and cannot do," said Vaughn, addressing a standing room only crowd at an on-campus speaking event in the fall of 2011.

Photo Gallery:  Mo Vaughn Visits Curry College

Vaughn stopped by the Curry campus to pass along personal advice about life, career and the pursuit of happiness to students and athletes alike. The former Red Sox hitter opened up about his experience in the major leagues, shared anecdotes about his adventures in baseball and business, and even talked about moving forward after a devastating injury halted his career.

"It's the negative things that you work on," said Vaughn, who severely injured his ankle and knee while pursuing a fly ball during the first play of his first game with the Anaheim Angels in 1999.

Students listened intently to "The Hit Dog" as he talked about his transition from baseball to the business world, a move he made in an effort to take a swing at new challenges. He is currently involved in a slew of business ventures including OMNI New York LLC, a company that purchases and rehabilitates distressed housing units in New York City. Vaughn's business partner Rob Bennett, the father of Curry senior Michael Bennett, thought students would appreciate taking advice from a local hero.

"Understand that the first impression is the last impression, and that is the most important impression. It is a tough world out there right now; we have to be sharper, we have to work on our presentation, we have to be professional and we have to be ready for whatever the challenge is," said Mo, emphasizing the importance of professionalism in the pursuit of success, in all facets of life.

Dressing for success, showing up on time, managing finances and gaining insight from failure were just a few of the points Vaughn drove home to students and athletes in the audience. He also talked about the struggles he faced as a student with a learning difference, who perhaps had to work harder to get the results he wanted. Though he ultimately overcame his struggles and currently excels in business, he told students that believing in their abilities and working hard is half the battle.

"You gotta take chances to get where you want. You gotta believe in something. You gotta believe in what you are doing. You gotta wake up in the morning and work at it and push it and make it happen," said Vaughn.