National Disability Employment Awareness Month: Sydney Peterson’s Journey Through Science And Sport

On any given day, you might find Sydney Peterson gliding across a snowy mountain trail before the sun comes up — and then peering under a microscope by midmorning. Equal parts endurance athlete and budding neuroscientist, she somehow balances elite-level skiing, full-time research, and living with a rare neurological disorder. At just twenty-three, Peterson has already become a three-time Paralympic medalist, a doctoral candidate in neuroscience and a role model for disabled professionals pursuing excellence in their fields.

Peterson’s story began in Minnesota, where winters stretched long and cold. But for her, they were filled with opportunity. She had been introduced to Nordic skiing at a young age. By high school, she had joined the school’s ski team, and later began training with the Minneapolis Ski Club. Those early years laid the foundation for a career that would span both elite sport and cutting-edge medical research.

When she was 13, Peterson’s life took a sharp turn. She began experiencing symptoms of reflex sympathetic dystrophy and dystonia in her left arm — neurological disorders that caused involuntary muscle contractions and chronic pain. Over time, the dystonia progressed, affecting the mobility in both her left arm and leg.

“I began having symptoms of dystonia when I was 13, but I didn’t receive an official diagnosis until I was 19,” she recalled. “Part of the deal with rare neurological diseases is there’s not a lot of research in them, and so it took, unfortunately, a long time and lots of doctors’ visits to actually understand what was going on.”

That uncertainty sparked her curiosity rather than her fear.

“It definitely all fueled my interest in science,” she said. “I wanted to learn about what was happening to myself, and I wanted to try and see if I could help other people.”

As her symptoms progressed, Peterson found new ways to stay connected to her love for skiing. When traditional racing became too difficult, she transitioned into Para Nordic skiing. By her sophomore year at St. Lawrence University, she was competing with the U.S. Para Nordic Team. The pivot changed everything.

Just months after becoming eligible for Paralympic classification in 2021, Peterson stunned the world at the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, winning gold, silver, and bronze in her debut.

“It all kind of happened in a matter of six months,” she laughed. “I did not become eligible for the Paralympics until my sophomore year of college, and then, suddenly, I was in Beijing.”

Even as her athletic career soared, Peterson never strayed from her academic pursuits. After graduating from St. Lawrence University with an undergraduate degree in neuroscience, she has gone on to pursue a PhD at the University of Utah, only one year after undergoing invasive brain surgery in an effort to mitigate the advancing efforts of her illness.

At the same time, she is also working full-time in a neurogenetics lab, researching how existing drugs could be repurposed to treat rare neurodegenerative diseases.

“I’ve always just been interested in math and science,” the Lake Elmo, Minnesota, native said. “I have a rare disease that has led to different neurological issues, and that’s part of what fueled my interest in neuroscience. But I also just like the process of being in a lab and learning new things.”

Balancing research and Paralympic training required near-constant discipline. Peterson’s schedule often begins before sunrise.

“We train over 700 hours a year,” she said. “That can be really tough with working over 40 hours a week and having school demands on top of that. I wake up early to ski for two hours, go into the lab, then train again at night.”

She found joy in the rhythm of it all. “I don’t really view skiing as a job,” she reflected. “It’s something that I enjoy, and it helps me stay more focused in school. I wouldn’t be able to sit still all day if I didn’t go run around in the mountains beforehand.”

In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Peterson often reflected on how her disability shaped — not limited — her professional life.

“I’m fortunate to have really great co-workers who are always willing to answer questions and make the workplace a fun place to be”, she said modestly. ”It’s great when you want to show up to work because the people you work with make it enjoyable.”

Still, working in a hands-on lab environment came with unique challenges. Her left hand’s limited mobility means she often has to rethink basic lab techniques.

“Sometimes it can be challenging to figure out how to do things,” she said. “But everyone has something they’re dealing with.”

Her adaptability became a quiet superpower. “My left hand doesn’t work very well, so I do everything one-handed. Sometimes I think through how to approach something slightly differently, but if you think critically, you can figure out how to adapt pretty much anything.”

When it came to offering guidance for others with disabilities interested in STEM, she kept it simple: go for it and have fun figuring it out along the way.

“If you’re passionate about something, don’t avoid it just because it seems challenging,” she said. “Anything you want to pursue — whether you have a disability or not — is going to be challenging. You might as well go for it. If you do what you think will be worthwhile and surround yourself with people you enjoy being around, it will pay off.”

And on the snow, her sights are already set on Milan-Cortina 2026. “Beijing was incredible, but it was under COVID restrictions,” she shared. “I think this will be a whole new experience. I just love to ski, so it’ll be awesome.”