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Athletes

The Light Bulb Moment

Magic happened in Turin when the Sargent Shriver Global Messengers (SSGMs) connected with a group of talented college students to capture photos and spark a passion for storytelling.

Malvin loves cameras.

In Zimbabwe, he captures photos for the Special Olympics national program and even serves as an assistant and sound engineer at his local church so he can get more practice using the equipment.

“My biggest dream is to learn to take good pictures. Learn photo editing, video editing. And also producing. This is one of my biggest dreams. I’m so passionate about this and have the talent to do this whole-heartedly.”
Malvin Mukombe, Sargent Shriver Global Messenger

Self-advocacy is critical for Special Olympics athletes, and Malvin is a superb example. He identified his passion, expressed interest, and pursued opportunities. And what better way to amplify his voice than through photo and video, essential mediums to communicate on a global scale in today’s digital world.

However, opportunities aren’t as plentiful as they seem. Especially to get hands on training with a range of different gear directly with professionals.

At the World Winter Games in Turin, the Sargent Shriver Global Messengers (SSGMs) wore many hats and one of them was as storytellers. From reporting to capturing photos with provided camera kits, they stepped up to the plate so they could champion stories of their fellow athletes. They expressed interest, and now an opportunity presented itself.

But it wasn’t just the Italian Alps the SSGMs had to acclimate to. A World Games experience can be overwhelming, chasing down stories is challenging, and getting used to newer equipment on the job presents hurdles. A piece was still missing.

Enter Oklahoma City Public Schools Scissortail Studios

Based in Oklahoma, USA, Scissortail Studios takes an innovative approach to teaching high school students necessary skills to pursue careers in the world of film and digital content.

And thanks to a long-standing connection fostered by Special Olympics Manager Shawn Byrne, they enthusiastically offered to send a team of aspiring young filmmakers to the World Games pro bono. The idea was to provide three students the opportunity to capture photos and video on a global scale. Yet somehow it became something even greater when they arrived.

Two young men operate a camera inside a stadium
SSGMs Malvin Mukombe and Mujahid Al-Sarhani work with state of the art camera gear in Turin, Italy

At the Young Athletes event located in Pala Gianni Asti, the team, led by Scissortail Studios director Neil Newby, connected with the SSGMs and magic happened.

Each student (Abby Carmago, Julian De Leon, and Lanie Hansen) paired up with a SSGM, loaning them their own state of the art Sony cameras and lenses, then each SSGM captured photo and video of the event, receiving hands on experience with one-on-one guidance.

On working with Abby, Malvin couldn’t hold back his excitement, “Working with you [Abby], I felt joy and love because this was my first time using this type of long-range lens [Malvin raises the 5-pound telescopic Sony lens]. I learned a lot. How to take pictures from all different types of angles, zooming in and out.”

SSGM Susan Wang was incredible working with Lanie, even showing off her work to Chairman Tim Shriver. Lanie had nothing but praise as they worked together. “She’s a pro. Excellent with focus and identifying interesting subjects in frame.”

A young woman shows pictures from her camera
SSGM Susan Wang shows Chairman Tim Shriver photos she captured in Turin

For others, like fellow SSGM Pablo Composto, the opportunity was a revelation, “It’s a skill I didn’t know that I had. And now I just figured it out! [Working with] Julian was phenomenal. He is such a great person; I am proud to learn from and work with him. We need more people to join and create places of inclusion like this.”

The mentoring was seamless. “For the SSGMs, it was like a light bulb switched on.” Explains Nance Larsen, long-time Special Olympics World Games volunteer and storytelling expert guiding the SSGMs. “After working with the students from Scissortail Studios, it sparked a confidence and excitement to jump into storytelling.”

The media was fantastic (all of the SSGMs photos can be seen and downloaded here), but the ripple effect didn’t stop with the SSGMs.

“I know now that I want to tell stories that inspire others,” Lanie said. “What we experienced here, you can’t learn solely from a textbook. You have to live it.”

On the experience, Abby reflected, “It was incredibly moving to see the global impact of organizations like Special Olympics… [It has] changed how I view storytelling. It’s about capturing authentic moments of humanity.”

A change happened. These talented young students played a leadership role in the movement, impacting the creative and professional outlooks of the SSGMs. But what they received back was ten times more.

"There’s something truly priceless about having students from Scissortail Studios experience the Special Olympics movement on a global stage in Italy. These young storytellers—the future voices of our world—didn’t just observe; they connected. Their images and videos won’t just tell stories—they’ll carry the spirit of this movement forward for generations to come."
Shawn Byrne, Special Olympics Manager, Digital and Social Engagement
two young boys in front of a sign.
Photo by Susan Wang at Young Athletes event

This light bulb moment was not just one sided. Everyone who participated recognized the switch. It also forged a way for Unified Media. The SSGMs served as photographers, reporters, and interviewers. They proved their skillset doesn’t stop at speeches. And other athletes also led the way, like Magnus Arnarson from Iceland, an athlete photographer who captured incredible images throughout World Winter Games.

The talent is there. The interest is there. All it takes is a switch for the light to turn on.

When asked about inclusion, Malvin put it best, “Where I come from, I’m pushing inclusion. It means a lot. I managed to partner with you [Scissortail Studios]. You did not discriminate against me. You just took me as who I am. And you’ve accepted me. It’s not easy sometimes, but you took all your courage and included us, so it really means a lot to me.”

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