Sydney Groesbeck (She/Her/Hers)

I’ve dealt with chronic migraine since middle school, but felt I didn’t really begin my “journey” in the chronic illness community until I was 24 years old. I was admitted to the ER, told I was in Diabetic Ketoacidosis, and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I was immediately thrown into the deep end of carb counting, insulin ratios, and navigating the complicated maze of insurance, all less than two days after I took the GRE to start applying to graduate school programs! It has been an interesting journey of self discovery, self compassion, and advocacy work.

I advocate because I feel such a strong love for the chronic illness community. I have so many friends that show resilience, bravery, and tenacity every single day. I want people to be able to be strong advocates for themselves in the spheres where they can, and I feel a strong calling to advocate for larger-scale changes that need to happen in policy to better meet the needs of those with chronic illnesses.

Sydney was also featured in a recent campus dog blog! Read it here: https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/canines-on-campus/