Special Olympics Youth of the Week: Hannah Harrison and Marina Shaker
We are Hannah Harrison and Marina Shaker, a Special Olympics Unified Sports® pair from Special Olympics Florida. This July, we will be attending the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle to participate in the Youth Leadership Experience (YLE)!
Special Olympics Unified Sports means a lot to both of us. It is one of the things that brought us closer together as friends while being able to compete along side of each other in sports we both love.
Being a part of a Unified pair allows us to rely on each other more, as we grow in communication skills and knowing each other’s strengths.
Hannah, as Unified partner, gets to share in the athletes’ joy and be a part of special moments like a first medal or scoring a basket. To Hannah, it is the most rewarding thing and she is beyond grateful to be a part of it. Marina loves playing and competing in her favorite sports with her friends. Special Olympics always makes her feel good. We have had only the best experiences which, in turn, leave us with great memories.
For us, inclusion is a part of our everyday routine, knowing that we are given the opportunity to practice and promote inclusion daily. We try to be friendly to everyone we meet- our Youth Activation Committee (YAC) club participated in the R-Word Campaign this year where we both helped run the signing tables, and we always try to be inclusive with what we say about others: kind things!
We are super excited for Special Olympics 2018 USA Games Youth Leadership Experience and are looking forward to meeting other Unified pairs like us, making friends, and cheering on the athletes all week!
#BeFearlessBeKind #RiseWithUs #YLE2018
-Marina and Hannah
