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The slogan of Syracuse University’s Remembrance program, “Look Back, Act Forward,” has a direct connection to senior Remembrance Scholar Alison Gilmore’s identity as a woman diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

“Looking back on my past and what I’ve gone through, and acting forward to kind of make a difference and enact change, Remembrance was something that really meant a lot to me, just looking introspectively into my identities,” Gilmore said.

Throughout her time at SU, she has become involved in organizations across campus while also pursuing a degree in sport analytics. Gilmore said ever since she was little, she knew what she wanted to do, a perseverance that has inspired her to lead others. The bridge between past and future relates to her own experiences with a disability and her advocacy efforts for others, she said.

In addition to being a Remembrance Scholar, she also currently serves as president of the Sport Analytics Women Club, was a member of OrangeSeeds as a freshman and is now on their membership board. She is also a student assistant and peer mentor for the Disability Cultural Center.

Gilmore said she first realized she wanted to go into the sport analytics field as a young girl. She loved staying active with her siblings and playing sports outside, especially baseball and softball.

At 2 years old, Gilmore was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. She was born prematurely nine weeks early along with her twin sister, Grace Gilmore. Alison Gilmore said this disability played a large role in her childhood, impacting how she got around and her energy levels.

Right before she started high school, Alison Gilmore said she experienced a turning point in accepting her disabled identity with a surgery that placed her in the hospital for six weeks undergoing inpatient rehabilitation.

“After I (re-learned) how to do everything on my own, (I) kind of learned a lot about myself and grew mentally and physically from that,” Alison Gilmore said.

Despite her disability, Alison Gilmore’s love for sports only grew. When Alison Gilmore was a sophomore in high school, she heard about SU’s sport analytics program and pursued applying.

“I had heard about it from someone that (my dad) was working with, and so he shared it with me, and I remember telling my dad that day … that that was exactly what I wanted to do,” she said.

Now as a senior, Alison Gilmore said her position working in SU’s DCC has given her the opportunity to show others with a disability what is possible. By staying connected with other students in the center, she said she actively works to create a positive environment on campus for current and future students to come.

“Sharing my experiences, whether that’s difficulties with accessibility or just other issues that I’ve dealt with related to my disability, I’ve kind of been very open about in order to hopefully kind of make a difference proactively on campus,” Alison Gilmore said.

In terms of accessibility, Alison Gilmore said the faculty and staff at SU have been very supportive and accommodating toward her and her peers. Although she said there is always room for improvement, she feels SU makes an effort to create an environment of inclusion and belonging.

Part of the reason why she was inspired to become a Remembrance Scholar was from the “incredible support” she felt from previous scholars who acted as mentors for her in OrangeSeeds. Heather Ryerson, Remembrance and Lockerbie administrator and academic operations coordinator, recognized Alison Gilmore as a “warm and caring” scholar who’s put lots of effort into the Remembrance program.

“Her thoughtfulness, intelligence, and kindness are exemplary qualities for any Remembrance Scholar,” Ryerson wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange. “I have no doubt that Alison will be a true example of the ‘Act Forward’ responsibility of all Remembrance Scholars, and will be a positive force for change in the world to make it a better place.”

Marissa Schneider, a sport analytics and economics major and vice president of the SAW club, has noticed Alison Gilmore’s helpfulness toward others while the two have worked alongside each other. They met freshman year and are the only two women in their year’s sport analytics program, Schneider said.

Schneider applauded Alison Gilmore’s communications skills and advocacy for anything disability-related.

“She goes out of her way to make sure people are okay, because, like I said, she cares a lot about everyone around her and everything that she does,” Schneider said.

Alison’s sister Grace Gilmore said she is a “built-in best friend” with an attitude toward life that is “inspirational.”

“(She) has a laugh that is so infectious that if you hear it down the hall, you’re gonna start laughing because she is remarkably incredible, like, I can’t praise her enough for her being just amazing,” Grace Gilmore said.

The most important life lesson Grace Gilmore has learned from her sister, she said, was to be strong and not let anybody else’s opinions weigh you down.

“She’s the smartest person I know, and she’s always just so incredibly and authentically herself,” Grace Gilmore said. “It doesn’t matter what anybody else said because she was so comfortable with who she was, and it just didn’t matter.”

As Alison Gilmore finishes her time at SU, she said she hopes her identity won’t stop her from succeeding in a male-dominated field. While she is currently doing analytics for the SU softball team, she said her dream is to land a role in the MLB.

Alison Gilmore traces her openness about her disability back to an Advanced Placement English assignment in her junior year of high school. She chose to write about her then-recent experience recovering from her surgery in the hospital.

She said she received positive feedback on her paper from her classmates, who told her it gave them the courage to share similar stories about themselves. The experience opened her eyes to the effects of advocacy, she said, which has become a prominent part of the rest of her life.

“I realized that if I can break in and eventually secure that dream job, I realized the figure that I can be for those that come after me,” she said.

CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this article stated in a quote that Alison Gilmore was learning how to do things for herself after a surgery. Gilmore was re-learning as part of the recovery process.

Published on October 19, 2023 at 12:54 am

Contact Roxanne: rmboychu@syr.edu