With all the excitement surrounding a commencement ceremony, most Oklahoma State University graduates might take for granted the customary walk across the stage.

For zoology graduate Mary Beth Davis, the walk on May 10, 2014, was at the forefront of her mind. Davis is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of an auto accident, but with the help of an Ekso bionic suit, she was able to walk across the stage to receive her diploma.

“I’m always up for a challenge,” Davis says. “You know the doctors were like, career change, set different goals, and I was like, no, we’re still going to do this.”

Davis has always wanted to attend OSU for veterinary school. Graduating with her zoology degree brings her one step closer, and she will apply to the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences for the fall 2015 semester.

After her accident on Aug. 27, 2010, Davis and her family learned she had broken the C6 and C7 vertebrae in her neck and had bruised her spinal cord. She was in her first semester at OSU after having transferred from OSU-OKC. She took only one semester off to recover, attend therapy, and regain her strength.

Davis describes herself as having always been a student. She loves to learn, so she was determined to get back to OSU as soon as possible, even if it meant taking one physiology course during the spring 2011 semester. The process of getting to class was now a lot different, but she found the learning process remained the same.

“After the first five minutes after lecture started, it felt normal you know,” Davis remembers. “I was taking notes, I was listening, and you just kind of forget about your injury for a little bit. Going to class was a stress reliever.”

While readjusting to her classes, Davis participated in therapy at the INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Center in Oklahoma City. When the Chickasaw Nation donated an Ekso bionic suit to the Jim Thorpe Center, Davis’s former therapist and the center’s director thought she would be an ideal candidate to use the suit.

The Ekso bionic suit Davis uses is one of 23 suits being used in rehabilitation centers throughout the country and the only suit in Oklahoma. The Jim Thorpe Center suit is nicknamed “Murphy”, a reference to the film Robocop. “Murphy” operates by using a system of simple straps, motors, remotes, and Davis’s own body.

Once Davis is strapped in, a remote signals the suit to rise to a standing position. The first step is triggered by remote, but then she shifts her body weight, signaling to the suit that she is ready for her next step. A computer in the suit’s backpack contains programs with her specifications.

Davis understands that most people will see the immediate result of the suit as her being able to walk, but she also emphasizes to people that the suit provides a wide range of long-term benefits to its users. Some of those benefits include improved core stability, increased bone density from weight-bearing activity, better functioning of the digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems, and of course, the positive emotional and mental impact.

The health benefits of the suit also tie into Davis’s duties as the 2014 Miss Wheelchair Oklahoma. As a nutritional sciences minor, she has always been passionate about health and nutrition, and she noticed the area was not represented as well as she thought it should be during disability discussions. She chose to advocate a health and nutrition platform during the competition, and now after winning, she gets to speak about her passion at seminars and support groups throughout Oklahoma.

“I’m so passionate about…trying to get people healthier,” Davis explains. “It’s just like a ripple effect of the good things that can come from having a healthier lifestyle and I just wanted to share that with people.”

Davis is taking this next year to fulfill her duties as Miss Wheelchair Oklahoma and to do more extensive therapy. She jokes that her “year off” from classes will actually keep her pretty busy.

Despite her busy schedule, Davis is ready to turn any challenges that come her way into opportunities with the help of her family, faith, and friends. Four years ago, she could not have foreseen her accident and her injury, but now she says she can’t see herself doing anything different than what she’s doing now.