Kayla McKeon – Onondaga Community College (Kate the Great and the Wiedefeld Family Scholarship Award)

Kayla McKeon is a two-time Rockin’ Recipient and this year’s Ruby’s Rainbow Kate the Great and the Wiedefeld Family Scholarship Award recipient. After her first year at Onondaga Community College, she took a break to work on Capitol Hill as the first-ever registered lobbyist with Down syndrome, but now she is entering her second year at OCC, where she is majoring in business and pursuing her Associate’s degree in General Studies. She recently completed a Leadership in the Digital Age class at MIT and was also recently inducted into the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. She is also the recipient of the 2019 International Law Enforcement Torch Run Athlete of the Year award.

Kayla’s advice for younger students with Down syndrome is “to persevere and never give up! Don’t be afraid to take on new challenges; it’s time to embrace them head-on.” Great advice, Kayla — you rock!