ARKANSAS, USA — Mary Borman was born with Down syndrome, and in her everyday life, she's a swimmer, model and an advocate for people with disabilities. It's a role rooted in her own lived experience.
"All the things that I'm doing are showing that there are no limits for me. I feel empowered in everything that I do and I feel grateful for it," said Borman.
Though she's most widely known as a Special Olympics swimmer, you can also find Mary strutting the runway. She participated in NWA Fashion Week in 2019 and recently tried out once again. For her, modeling is all about representation.
"I saw everyone there and no one I know had Down syndrome there. I was the only girl who had down syndrome, just showing the world who I am," Borman explained.
Mary's model tryout video has gone viral on TikTok with more than 10 million views and her mom says she made a lasting impression on the judges.
"She'll walk out there and she's as confident as she can be. When she went before those judges she was sassy and I think they pretty much loved that because of the confidence that she exudes," said mother Marie Wood.
When she's not walking the runway, Mary travels as a public speaker, advocating for Down syndrome rights. She has an upcoming trip on April 17 to Washington D.C. as the National Down Syndrome Society Ambassador for Arkansas. Mary will speak to senators like Tom Cotton and John Boozman and Rep. Steve Womack advocating for disability issues.
"I'm talking to them about not just down syndrome, but all disabilities," said Borman.
With social media at our fingertips Borman and her family hope her journey motivates people from all different backgrounds to be themselves no matter what barriers they are up against.
Mary says that "anything is possible" and that if she can "do all these great things, then they can do that too,"
"The reason we started the Instagram and TikTok pages were to inspire people and help people see that people with Down syndrome or other disabilities can go far and beyond what anyone can expect them to do," Wood stated.
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