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The Following is an article that I wrotethatwhile working forSpecial OlympicsNorth Carolina.After
interning and then coming back to workfor the organization asa freelancewriter, I also decided to
participatein one of their biggestevents,“Over theEdge.” Participantsmustraisea minimumof $1,000
to then be able to rappeldown theside of a (32-story) building in the downtown area of Raleigh,NC.I
wasinvited to create a story for theSONCwebsitethat featured a lookinto performing therappel from
my own perspectiveas botha participantand formerintern.Though thearticle is now archived on the
website,it’s oneof my favoritepieces of workfromthe over thepastfew years.I also received honorable
praise on the story fromthe presidentof Special OlympicsNorth Carolina.
More everything—it’stwowordsthathave a heavierimpactwhenyouputthemtogether.At24 years
old,these twowordsseemtohave more meaningnow thanjustan order of letters;it’sareminderof
the way I wantto live mylife. Asfarback as my brainreaches,Ican still feel memoriesof beinga,not
one,buttwo-hands-full-type-of-kid.Some childrenwanttoplaysoccer,some wantto ride horses,some
wantto dance andsing,but I didn’twantto choose;Iwantedto have itall.Lookingback onit now,I
guessI’mone of the luckyfewwhoneverreallygrew outof thatfeeling.
It seemslike whenyouhave areal hungerforlife it’shardto everfeel full,andI’mstarving. Inthe past
yearalone I competedin a 7500-personrace, ina bikini duringFebruary,where the objective wastoeat
a dozendonutsin the middle of the fourmile run withoutthrowingup.I’ve spentthe mostamazingfive
weeksof mylife travelingand studyingthroughoutItalywhere Idideverything fromwatchingan
impromptuoperainthe middle of Florence,tokayakingalongthe ItalianRivierainCinque Terre.I’ve
evenparticipatedinacharityeventthatallowedme and100 studentstodonate the clothesoff our
backs andrun throughNC State University’sLibraryinourunderpants. Iwantto squeeze everydropof
happinessoutof eachhour that I’mluckyenoughtohave,so whenIfoundout aboutthe Special
OlympicsOverthe Edge event,Isigneduprightaway.Since Iwas alreadya fanof Special Olympics,I
knewitwould be an awesome experience—the perfectcombinationof beingalittle crazy,alittle outof
my comfortzone,anda whole lotof helpdonatedtoagreat cause.
My involvementwithSpecial Olympicsstarted nearlyayearago whenI volunteeredtohelpoutata
bowlingtournament.Igotto spendthe day makingpeople smile andleavingwithsuchagenuine sense
of satisfaction thatIdecidedtoapplyforan internshipwiththe organization.BeinginvolvedwithSpecial
Olympicseventswas incredible,andhelpingmake the eventspossible feltevenbetter.Iwaslucky
enoughtolandan internshipthat notonlyprovidedme withreal careerexperience,butone thatalso
gave me a sense of purpose andmade me feel goodatthe same time. The days I have spentworkingfor
Special Olympicsandwithourathleteshave remindedme of how luckyIam to have the life thatI do,
and howimportantitis to give back to othersso thattheycan feel the same way.
Overthe Edge isan eventthatlet’severyone involveddosomethingamazing.Raisingthe fundsto
participate makesme feel 30storiestall—notjustbecauseI’mabouttorappel downa building,but
because IknowI’m lendingahandinmaking Special Olympicspossible.Of course the obviousquestion
is,am I nervous?Well,mostdefinitely,I’monlyhuman.I’mplanningonscalingdownthe buildingina

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superherocostume;partlytodisguise mynerves,butmostly becausethose whoknow me wouldexpect
nothinglessfromme than take on thisexperience withalittle bitof personal,Super-Katystyle. Butno
matterwhat small doubtsI mighthave,I remindmyself thatthisisaonce ina lifetimeopportunity,and
hey, youonlylive once.Besides,some sayif youdoitright,once isenough. And,inthe end, beinga
part inhelpingourathletesdosomethingpositive andshine,that’sanevenbiggerrushthantakingthat
firststepoverthe edge.