It was a warm March afternoon after a long day of school. I was a 14-year-old freshman at a school by the name of Middle College High School in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Track and field conditioning was being announced around the school, and I knew I wanted to try track for the first time. On the first day, I noticed this guy who was super quiet, but he was beating everyone in the drills and races we were doing. I’ve played sports for a long time and up to this point I was used to the guys with the most talent talking the most trash. However this was different, he was different. He looked like he knew what he was doing, and as a natural competitor I instantly wanted to keep up with him. Unfortunately, I could not. This guy was obviously out of my league.
I asked another runner, “What’s that dude’s name? He’s fast.”
“That’s Sky, he’s a senior,” he said.
At the end of practice, I went up to him and said, “What’s up, Sky. My name is Evan. Not gonna lie, you’re fast, bro.”
Sky responded with a thank you and we sat and talked for maybe five to ten minutes while we waited for our rides to pick us up. While we were talking, I noticed something unfamiliar about his glasses, but I couldn’t figure out what it was, so I didn’t think anything of it. I was just taken back by his warm and accepting nature. Unbeknownst to me, I just met one of the extraordinary people in my life, and someone who would become one of my best friends.
Skylan Stephens was born in Memphis on April 26, 2001 and he is the oldest of four siblings. He is a graduate student at Milligan working towards his master’s in counseling. Sky is one of the most involved people on campus and in Johnson City. He is a captain on the track and field team, group resident and small group leader at First Christian Church, member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. He also plays alto saxophone in his free time, and you could find him playing at local jazz nights in the local area at places such as Wonderland in Johnson City. Sky is known for his big smile and his bright personality. However, if you look at him closely you will realize that he is not like the rest of us.
Skylan was born with a rare eye condition called chronic uveitis that causes inflammation to build on the middle layer of the eye called the uvea, which can cause vision impairment or loss. Sky was born with this condition and has been dealing with it for all of his life. Sky is legally blind.
“I first noticed it when I was in kindergarten, because I started to see floating lines and dots, and I knew that wasn’t normal,” he says. “So that’s when I told my mom and we went to the eye doctor the next week, I believe. And I knew it was serious when I started to get pulled out of class in first grade for extra support visually.”
This led Sky to grow up a little quieter and sheltered than other kids his age. Understandably, he was self conscious about his eyesight. As a kid he remembers thinking, “I have to be a quiet kid, and I can’t talk about my disability, or else people will bully me.” Skylan carried this mentality through most of his elementary and middle school years, but eventually in high school, he grew into the bubbly, outgoing guy he is now.
“That process started when I got comfortable with being different. I’m silly when I’m around people that I’m comfortable with, but when I was in high school it clicked for me. I realized I’m here for a reason and God made me this way for a reason, so I wanted to embrace it more. I was still a shy kid after realizing that, but that’s when I started to become more comfortable with being different.”
‘I realized I’m here for a reason and God made me this way for a reason, so I wanted to embrace it more.’
skylan stephens
Track and field was a big part of his journey that brought him out of his shell.
“I started when I was a sophomore in high school, and it was cool because I thought track was something I could actually do and be really good at,” he remembers. “I grew up playing basketball and my eyes were a bigger hindrance playing basketball.” He remembers one workout as a sophomore when things really clicked into place.
“I fell in love with track during my sophomore year, and I remember during a workout we were on our last 400. I heard my coach say, ‘Get out the curve,’ and I sprinted as hard as I could. That was one of the few times I experienced ‘runner’s high,’ and after that I knew I loved it.”
Despite all of the challenges Skylan was going through, he still had responsibilities of being a student, son, and a big brother.
“Growing up with Skylan was great, because of the type of person Skylan is,” says his 20-year-old brother, Joyner. “He is really competitive, so with him being my big brother, he pushed me to get better at basketball. Other than sports, he guides me to make the right life choices so I don’t go down the wrong path.”
His 17-year-old sister London Stephens agrees. “Growing up with Skylan was fun and enjoyable. He was a chill, laid-back brother that didn’t do a lot of fussing. He always found the good in things.” They never really noticed his eyesight handicap, because he didn’t complain or use his condition to make excuses.
“I didn’t understand how severe his eye disability was until I got older,” says Joyner, “so I never looked at him like a handicap. But even when I realized it, I noticed that he didn’t complain about it too much so I still treated him normally.”
“Of course I knew he had vision problems,” says London, “but it was never something that I talked about, because I had hardly seen him down about it. In my eyes, I tend to forget about the issue because of the great things he has done.”
As Skylan graduated high school he transitioned into the Milligan phase of his life. Entering Milligan as a freshman in 2019, that’s when he seemed to find his stride and come to his own as a man. When Milligan’s Track and field head coach, Chris Layne, started recruiting Skylan, he knew nothing about Skylan’s disability, but Layne soon realized the runner’s special qualities. Layne says Skylan’s impact on the team is unmatched largely due to Skylan’s character.
“Coach Sebie (Sebastien O’Niell) and I will sit back and watch him go to work,” Layne says, “And it just gives you chill bumps thinking about what it takes to just navigate getting around the track, let alone running a leg on a sprint relay.
Just in his daily walk, Skylan makes everyone around him better. Forget sports for a minute, he’s encouraging, he’s thoughtful and it’s obvious his character is heavily influenced by his faith.
His teammates see it too. Seniors Kamdyn Lee and Keith Fletcher had this to say about their first impression of Stephens and his affect on them.
“When I first met Sky, he immediately showed that he was a welcoming presence that we all know,” says fellow sprinter Fletcher. “When I found out about his disability, I learned how much of a leader he actually is. Despite him having his own issues he still took on the leader role of the sprint team.” Lee says he thought it was “interesting” at first to see Skylan compete with his vision problems. “It didn’t really stop him when it came to running, and I looked up to him for that,” Lee says. “His leadership is quite helpful in situations where I don’t feel comfy with running. His mindset is positive and strong that is what makes him a strong leader here at Milligan.” He’s a multi-time Appalachian Athletic Conference Champion, NAIA National Championship qualifier and an Academic All-American.
Skylan is a devoted Christian, and his faith walk has grown over the years.
“I learned over the years that (my faith) is the most true thing in the world,” he says. “I latched on to it and I started to experience the fruits of what happens when you live close to God, and a part of that fruit is joy. Just over the years, the closer I got with God the more he’s given me internal joy and I am able to give that to others and shine my light in that way.”
I see this light every day in Skylan, and I’m confident that anyone that comes in contact with him would probably say the same. But his siblings might describe him best.
“I would say encouraging,” says Joyner. “He always wants the best for people.”
London simply says her oldest brother is “amazing.”
“He always has a positive mindset and it’s nothing but good times when I’m around my brother,” London says.
Skylan Stephens is a very self motivated person, and a man of many talents. Once he graduates he has ambitions of staying in ministry and becoming a pastor of his own church one day. No matter what endeavors he chooses to embark on in his life I will forever know him as one of the most extraordinary people I know and I suggest anyone get to know him before he graduates this spring.
In customary Skylan fashion, he wants to encourage by leaving a parting word to people who may be going through disabilities of their own.
“It’s going to be a challenge. It’s going to be hard, but you’re still human,” he says.
‘Never forget that you’re a human and you’re unique. There will be weak people who will mess with you because of your disability, but the majority of people, no matter if they say it or not, will admire you with your disability. You will be a bigger blessing to some people, than some people without it. Just embrace it.’
Skylan stephens
