Sydney Spancake is our first, annual South Jersey Trailblazer Scholarship Recipient thanks to SNJ Millennials! Sydney is a leader and inspiration to many.

Freshman year of High School, Sydney had her first seizure. Sydney shared, "I will always remember the day when my life changed so quickly. Everything started like a normal morning on the bus on the way to school, but it changed in the blink of an eye. One moment I was laughing with my friends and the next I was in an ambulance with my tongue sliced basically in half with blood everywhere. That started all the visits to the neurologist and all the EEG's that were done to determine I have JME, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy."

After many medications Sydney was prescribed, her grand mal seizures would not resist. She had about 4-5 more seizures after her first and thought about her choices. She shared, "I could have easily turned to hiding away and living in fear. That was not the option I chose. I chose to instead, get up and see what the world still had to offer. Because fear will hold you back from reaching your full potential." For Sydney, she would not allow fear to affect her love for the arts—theatre and dance! 

Today, Sydney graduated High School and will now pursue her career goal of becoming an EEG Technician to help and comfort children who are undergoing tests to determine if they have epilepsy due to their seizures. She shares that you can turn anything that can be fearful into something beautiful—and now, is dedicating her life to that exact mission! Join us in celebrating her accomplishments and trailblazing work through her advocacy and future career. She is a role model to many, especially our community!