Special Olympics Massachusetts has over 16,000 Olympians, but there is one special athlete who stands out with her determination to reach her dreams and goals.

Sydney Brooks is from Leicester, Massachusetts. At just 22 years old, Sydney's journey has been nothing short of inspiring. She did not give up on becoming a Special Olympian even though at a young age she faced some hurdles in her life. When she was young, she had to have heart surgery and other childhood surgeries; however, it did not stop her from playing Special Olympics basketball because she has the empowerment to help her teammates out and she is very competitive.

Sydney is a multi-sport athlete, but her favorite sport is basketball with the Seven Hills Panthers. She also participates in bowling with Auburn Rocketeers, and Flag Football with the Seven Hills Sharks. The two Special Olympics teams that she is involved with are Seven Hills and Auburn.

“Special Olympics makes me happy,” said Sydney.  

She has been a Special Olympian since she was 8 years old and has earned many medals from winning in basketball.

Sydney has also faced some obstacles in college. First, she went to college at Lesly University in Boston, where she learned how to stay independent. Then, Sydney switched to Quinsigamond Community College to stay close with her mother and decided to study early childhood education.

Everyone has their dreams and goals—Sydney hopes and dreams to one day spread disability awareness. She hopes one day to become a public speaker and believes that the more people spread disability awareness, the better people will understand why awareness of disability rights is very important. Sydney’s passion will make her a great candidate to talk about her disability and disability rights. She would like to speak in different states including Washington D.C. on the topic of disability rights.

In the end, Sydney from Leicester, Massachusetts, would like to help people with disabilities as a public speaker while she is competing for Special Olympics Massachusetts. The world needs more people like Sydney to spread awareness, especially about Special Olympics.

Jess Lappin is a member of the Special Olympics MA Content Squad. The mission of Special Olympics MA Athlete Leadership is to empower athletes to develop communication skills and utilize their voices to assume meaningful leadership roles. As members of the Content Squad, athlete leaders contribute to Special Olympics MA story-telling through interviews, photos, video creation, and more.

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