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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Maplesville High School’s Kennedy Cleckley was the winner of two scholarships from the Bryant-Jordan Foundation for excelling in athletics despite being legally blind in her left eye. Cleckley was one of 104 high school athletes presented with an award and scholarship at the 40th annual Bryant-Jordan Student Athlete Awards Banquet held in Birmingham.

The scholarship program is named in honor of the late coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant and Ralph “Shug” Jordan. Each year, 52 regional scholar-athlete winners are selected for their excellence on both the athletic field and in the classroom. Additionally, 52 achievement winners are chosen for their ability to compete in athletics while overcoming major obstacles during their high school careers.

Cleckley arrived at the banquet knowing she was the winner of the Class 1A Region 4 Achievement Award that came with a $3,000 scholarship. However, she was surprised to hear her name called as the winner of the Class 1A Achievement Award as well that is given to the overall winner of the class. That came with a $3,500 scholarship, bringing her total to $6,500 to go towards her educational endeavors.

When Cleckley was two years old doctors found out she had a lazy left eye. It got progressively worse to where her entire eye was in the corner of her eye socket and surgery was needed. Doctors corrected her eye back into position, but the procedures left Cleckley with 60-20 vision in her left eye, which is deemed legally blind.

While growing up, Cleckley dealt with bullying because of her eye and sight. She used sports as an outlet, and it helped her block out the rude comments from others.

“I love sports, I have always been a sports fan and it kept me going,” Cleckley said. “But I have dealt with a lot of bullying because of it … In sports, sometimes people do not get that I cannot see a certain way and it has been frustrating, but it is something I have had to overcome playing the sports I do.”

Cleckley quickly learned how to adapt with it on the field of play and it never bothered her too much while playing. At this point in life, she has adapted so well that she does not think twice about it.

“I know I am blind and cannot see well out of that eye, but I never let it stop me, and I just continue everything normally,” Cleckley said.

She added that the adversity of being partially blind has helped build character inside her, but also forced her to work harder for the things she wanted to achieve. In the end, she achieved those goals by signing a volleyball scholarship to Wallace Community College Selma in March.

Cleckley plans to use the scholarships from the Bryant-Jordan Foundation to pursue a career as a teacher, specifically in high school mathematics, and she wants to coach high school athletics as well.