This is Megan McCormick. She is 31 years old and is the youngest of six siblings. When her parents told her she had Down Syndrome, she wasn’t aware quite what this meant, but knew she would have to work much harder to achieve her goals in life. Her parents and siblings never treated her any differently, and set the bar high with regard to expectations for her future. She feels blessed that she received so much support and encouragement not just from her family, but also from her teachers, tutors, and coaches along the way, who helped her maintain that focus and vision, advocated for her and led her to the fulfilment of her dreams.

As a child, she attended mainstream schools in Lexington, Kentucky, where she was included in ‘normal’ lessons and she graduated with her peers. To get college credits during her junior and senior years of high school, she took courses at a technical school, and at her high school graduation, she was recognized as a Governor’s Scholar. In the autumn term of 2007, she attended Bluegrass Community and Technical College, where she chose to major in education. She enjoyed working with children during her internships there, especially primary school children. Thanks to the support of her professors, tutors, and fellow peers, she graduated in 2013 with an associate degree in education. She knew teaching assistant positions in Lexington were very hard to come by at the time, so she decided to go back to school to pursue a four year college degree. She began courses at the University of Kentucky in the autumn of 2014, while continuing to work part-time in after-school programmes and as a substitute teaching assistant. Her family supported her throughout, helping her find academic coaches who would attend classes with her to make sure she stayed on track with her course work. In May 2019, she graduated with honours obtaining her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies. 

She particularly loves working with children because it gives her the opportunity to give back to them in the same way her teachers did with her. She currently works in a primary school where the principal is committed to inclusion and determined to make sure that she is successful; the same primary school she attended when she started school in Lexington all those years ago! Megan has other dreams too and is determined to get her driver’s licence so is able to drive to work. She is involved with Special Olympics, both swimming competitively and serving as an advocate for health, wellness, and inclusion programmes for people with intellectual disabilities. She is keen to remain an active member within her community so she can be allowed to contribute and give back. What an inspiring story!