A former Sacramento-area teacher who made national headlines after undergoing a sex-change operation spoke to a group of Sacramento State students Thursday about the importance of following one?s dreams.

Dana Rivers, who in 1999 lost her job as a teacher at Center High School in Antelope after informing the school board she would be receiving the operation, appeared before a group of approximately 150 students in the University Union.

She spoke about her confused childhood, the events which led to her losing her job and how her experiences have made her stronger.

“My story is: Live the life that you want and be who you are and live it to the fullest,” Rivers said. “If you do anything after you leave here today, don?t let anyone be discriminated against.”

Rivers, who was named David Warfield before becoming a woman, said she played house and other traditionally female games as a child, and was confused by other people?s insistence that she act more like a boy.

“I was treated different,” Rivers said. “Growing up, people singled me out.”

Though she outwardly lived life as a man, eventually becoming a successful high school teacher, inside she felt like she was someone else. This led to her decision to become a woman in the summer of 1999.

The school board forced her to resign from her job because they didn?t accept her as a transvestite, Rivers said. She claims board members thought she was a “freak,” and didn?t know how to deal with her.

Rivers? story received national attention, earning her appearances on a number of television programs, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and 20/20 with Diane Sawyer. She was also listed in People Magazine as one of its Most Intriguing Individuals.

Rivers believes that without the support of her family, friends, students and people of the community she wouldn?t be here today. “When I was 33 years old, I found an amazing women named Jane. She helped me understand who I was and to accept who Dana was,” Rivers said.

Rivers has moved on with her life and career. This year she was offered a job in the Bay Area as a history teacher, and there are also plans to make a movie about her life.

She said she doesn?t miss anything about being a man, because she?s now doing everything she wants to do. Her advice to students in the same situation she was in is to not live life being afraid.

Though she no longer teaches in the Sacramento area, she said she will always remember the area as the place where her life truly began.

“Sacramento is ground zero for me,” Rivers said. “This is where my life change began.”