Delaware native wins ESPN Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award

BRIDGEVILLE, Del. – “When I was nine years old, I was running my first-ever 5K, and I actually had a seizure before I was able to finish. And so that kind of completely shifted my role in sports. I wasn’t really able to do the same things I was before.”

Delaware native Lily Farris has always wanted to be involved in sports.

“I’m the youngest of four siblings, and all of us were very athletic,” Farris said, “Even just following my brother around the racetrack, he was a big BMXer, so sports have always been a big part of my life.”

Even after a life-changing episode at nine years old, Farris knew she couldn‘t just sit on the sidelines: “[Me and my doctors and coaches and parents] were able to kind of figure out things that worked for me, you know, specific routines, specific sports that were better for me than others. I became so passionate about finding a way to balance that life with my disabilities. And through that process, I realized that I wasn’t the only person in the world going through this experience.”

Through her foundation Students for Educational Equity in the US–SEE US for short–Farris got to work, starting a project called We Sport Too,
working to expand access and visibility for young athletes facing disabilities or other challenges; athletes that, in the past, haven’t had the same opportunities as everyone else.

“If you meet a student who says they’re disabled, your mind can go so many different ways, but you’ve got to let them figure out what that means for them first,” Farris said of coaches and educators entrusted with guiding those young people. “It’s not necessarily about building the way for your students or your athletes. It’s really about helping them find their place and helping them find, their path by themselves.”

For her work empowering young athletes, Farris earned the recognition of ESPN as a 2026 regional winner of the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award, an honor that her brother also received in 2019 for his work with GearUp. Farris, who assisted with GearUp at points, cited her brother’s experience as a significant inspiration. “To be recognized by not only ESPN but Billie Jean King, who I’ve always admired, that was definitely just kind of mind blowing for me,” she said.

Now Farris looks to the future, hoping to use her platform to build something that can impact lives for years to come. “Right now, my biggest priority is to build that lasting impact. So I’m kind of trying to put my roots in the ground. I already have this project established. I’m really trying to, get more people involved and help set up the system that can live past me.”