Collins Tuohy is the daughter of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, better known as the real-life counterparts of Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw’s characters in the hit sports drama “The Blind Side.”
Collins Tuohy will speaking in conjunction with the event Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. in Clement Auditorium.
APSU’s Unity Celebration is an annual event intended to allow students, faculty and staff to celebrate the campus and Clarksville communities.
The point of the event is to provide an opportunity to share messages which have social value.
“The Unity Celebration Event will be part of the curriculum to engage the spring common reading of all freshman APSU 1000 classes,” said Tammy Bryant, director of Student Affairs Programs and Services.
Bryant expects Tuohy’s message to be “inspirational.”
Tuohy plans to take the audience through her life with her adoptive brother, Michael Oher, who now plays for the Baltimore Ravens.
The book and movie based on Oher’s life detail his homelessness and his relationship to Tuohy as a fellow student, close friend and, later, her adoptive brother.
“It was actually a group of students who related well to the book, ‘In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving,’” Bryant said. “These students encouraged Student Affairs to bring Tuohy to campus.” The story is told through the experiences and lessons of growth through sports.
Currently, Tuohy is serving on the board of the Making It Happen Foundation, an organization dedicated to changing children’s lives through hope, love, and opportunity, according to the Greater Talent Network.
Tuohy graduated from Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, Tenn. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Mississippi. She also won the Tennessee State Championship in the pole vault.
The Unity Celebration is held annually and has previously featured speakers discussing other issues such as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and actor Giancarlo Esposito, and Holly Thompson, WSMV news anchor.
