Alva Review-Courier -

SPRING HOPE, N.C. (AP) — One local woman has turned the challenges of her life into a way to serve others.

Spring Hope native Jesse Sykes, 26, graduated last month from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a master's degree in clinical rehabilitation and mental health. Her master's thesis dealt with the impact of cerebral-palsy on care-givers during the transition from adolescent to adulthood.

At first glance, this looks like a fairly typical story of intelligent young woman succeeding in a challenging and beneficial field. But Sykes is far from typical. She has dealt with the cha...