Lakewood native Beatriz Hatz has only entered city council chambers twice in her life.

The first time, she was a preschooler on a class field trip, where she presented a small potted plant to one of the council members.

But on Monday, the 24-year-old returned — this time as a Paralympic bronze medalist and with a mayoral proclamation of the day named in her honor.

Hatz, who earned her first Paralympic medal in the long jump, joined Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom and others on Monday to commemorate the occasion by autographing her jersey and bib from the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympic Games, which are now set to be displayed in the Lakewood Civic Center atrium.

“Her journey to the podium in the long jump is a powerful testament to the spirit of perseverance, proving that challenges can be transformed into opportunities for greatness with unwavering determination and resilience. Beatrice has shown that with passion and hard work, anything is possible.”

Hatz, born with fibular hemimelia — a rare condition in which the fibula, or calf bone, is partially or entirely absent — had the lower portion of her right leg amputated by doctors at just 10 months of age.

She told audience members, which included her mother, Beatriz Rodriguez Hatz, that she often thinks about what her parents went through when they were told their soon-to-be-born child may never walk, but there are options.

“Then they show (my parents) these horrible photos of what I may possibly look like, and the, you know, preparation for the struggles that I will have in my life,” the younger Hatz said. “And thankfully, my parents were willing to push through that, and they were strong for me.”

And that strength has paid off.

Despite several subsequent surgeries, including bilateral knee surgery to straighten her knees, Hatz grew up playing various sports, including softball, basketball, soccer, karate and skiing.

The 5-foot-4-inch D’Evelyn Senior High School graduate was named the 2018 U.S. Paralympics Track and Field High School Female Athlete of the Year and would go on to represent Team USA at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Along with her family, the support of her hometown has also been meaningful.

“Just to see how inclusive they are today and the fact that they are acknowledging me and what I have done tells me how important the disabled community has become to our city, and I’m very thankful for that,” Hatz said.

So, what’s next?

The 2028 Los Angeles Summer Paralympic Games, of course.

But until then, Hatz plans to “grow” the Paralympic movement.

“Obviously, I will be focusing 100% on track and field, but when I’m not, I definitely want to be able to help the movement grow,” she said. “And I want more people to understand the difference between the Olympics, the Paralympics and the Special Olympics because they are not the same.”