University of Illinois Student Makes the ESPY Awards
University of Illinois graduate student Jessica Galli has been nominated for the Best Female Athlete with a Disability ESPY award. Jessica was also voted as the 2007 Paralympian of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee.
I’ve often wondered how it would affect the image that I have of myself if I were disabled. Nowadays, most of the value I could give the world comes from my mind, perhaps society wouldn’t value me much differently. I wonder whether I would be relentlessly self-conscious. Most people are already relentlessly self-conscious about things that others barely notice. In Junior High, whenever I liked a girl I would present myself to her head-on so that she could never get a profile view of my huge Italian nose. Jessica would probably say that she doesn’t have anymore courage or tenacity or fight in her than anyone else. But in a country where many people of my age bracket don’t feel comfortable unless they fit neatly into one of society’s molds, I respectfully disagree with her. I’m reminded of a song from Springsteen’s latest album (coincidentally the artwork on the CD was done by a U of I art professor). The refrain says, “When they built you Brother, they broke the mold.”
You can submit a vote for Jessica at the ESPY site. Please do so, I already have. Good luck to her.
Comment by Joshua on 3 July 2008 at 8:13 am:
Thanks for posting this Billy!