Haiti · London · The Alps · 2026 Winter Paralympics

Ralf Etienne

From the rubble of the 2010 earthquake to the slopes of the Alps — on one leg and one dream.

Scroll

8 Hours hanging upside down in rubble

2010 Haiti earthquake — magnitude 7.0

1 Nation represented — Haiti

2026 Winter Paralympics, Milan Cortina

Act I — January 12, 2010

01 12 10

16:53 local time · Port-au-Prince, Haiti

At 20, Ralf Etienne was already an unlikely success story. He had built a media empire by the age of 16 — a national magazine, a newspaper, a radio show, a production company. He was chasing money and fame, and winning.

Then the earth moved.

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake collapsed the four-story concrete building he was in. He was pinned upside down, his leg crushed beneath the weight of a shattered city. For eight hours, he waited.

"They had to carve my flesh out of the building to get me out. I was hanging upside down for eight hours."

Rescued at last, he was placed in a wheelbarrow and pushed for a day to reach the nearest hospital. A week passed before a doctor could see him. He eventually lost his left leg — but from that loss, something new was forged.

"That's when I realized I wasn't as powerful as I thought I was," he has said. "I decided if I survive this, I'm going to figure out how I live a life to serve people."

Act II — The Long Climb

2010

Survival & Transformation

After losing his left leg, Ralf comes to the US to receive a prosthetic. Sleeping on friends' couches and commuting 3 hours by bus to a New Jersey community college, he refuses to stop.

2012–18

Building a Mission

He earns a scholarship to Anderson College in Indiana. Between studies, he returns to Haiti repeatedly — collecting 40,000 pairs of eyeglasses for those without access to eye care, roofing over 700 homes after Hurricane Matthew, and building a children's center in Coteaux.

2022

MBA & Wall Street

Graduates from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and joins Bank of America in New York as an investment banking associate. "I have a shot at the pinnacle of corporate America. I can take that shot and give back. I'm going to be a force for good."

2024

The Alps Calling

Ralf discovers Paralympic skiing — and finds his next summit. He begins training in Switzerland, flying from his desk in London to the mountains, sometimes leaving the office at 2am to catch a 6am flight.

2025

Relocated to London

With US immigration restrictions making training travel impossible, BofA arranges for Ralf to relocate to London — giving him proximity to the Alps. The entire financial sponsors team works remotely during the final weeks of the year. Ralf works from Switzerland, balancing spreadsheets with ski gates.

2026

The Paralympic Dream

Ralf Etienne competes for Haiti at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics — representing a nation rarely seen in winter sport, carrying a story the world needs to hear.

Act III — Two Worlds, One Man

📊

Investment
Banker

Financial Sponsors Team, Bank of America. Late nights in Canary Wharf. Deal memos. Financial models. The relentless pressure of global capital markets.

London · 2am deadlines · BofA Associate

↔

⛷️

Paralympic
Skier

Racing down Alpine slopes on one leg. Swiss mountain air, predawn training runs, 6am flights from Heathrow. Competing for a flag that has never won a Winter Paralympic medal.

Swiss Alps · 6am flights · Haiti National Team

"Sometimes I'm leaving the office at 2 a.m. because I have work I need to finish before I get on a 6 a.m. flight to get to Switzerland. It's a constant rotation: office, airport, mountain, back to the desk. There's no comfort zone."

— Ralf Etienne, Wall Street Journal

Skiing
for Haiti

When people think of Haiti, they think of hardship. Ralf Etienne is writing a different chapter — showing that Haitian strength, resilience, and ambition can reach the highest mountain peaks in the world. He carries a nation on one leg.

"I don't have to go back to Haiti. I don't have to create an impact investment fund. I have a shot at the pinnacle of corporate America. Most people don't have that shot. I have it. I can take that shot — and I can give back."

— Ralf Etienne · UNC Kenan-Flagler, 2022

The Mission

A Force
For Good

Ralf's story isn't just about surviving — it's about choosing purpose over comfort, every single day.

Rebuild Haiti

40,000 pairs of eyeglasses donated. 700+ homes re-roofed after Hurricane Matthew. A children's center built in Coteaux. The work continues.

Represent with Pride

As one of the first Haitian athletes at a Winter Paralympics, Ralf proves that winter sport has no boundaries — geographic, physical, or economic.

Inspire the Next

From a wheelbarrow in Port-au-Prince to a ski slope in the Alps — if this is possible, what limits can truly hold anyone back?

Get in Touch

Media &
Sponsorship
Inquiries

Ralf's story has captured global attention — from the pages of the Wall Street Journal to the slopes of the Swiss Alps. If you'd like to collaborate, sponsor, or tell this story, reach out.

Direct Email [email protected]

Media Interviews Brand Sponsorship Speaking Engagements Partnership Press Kit