From fashion school to the Army to the Paralympics, Ce-Ce Mazyck kept pushing.
Centra "Ce-Ce" Mazyck's road to joining the Army started in fashion school, of all places.
In 1994, Mazyck was enrolled at Bauder College in Atlanta, taking classes to become a fashion stylist. But one year into her two-year program, she realized that she wanted more — so she joined the Army Reserve.
All images via Ce-Ce Mazyck, used with permission.
"I went in there with the mindset of only doing school," explains Mazyck. "But at the end of the day, I fell in love with it." Which probably isn't that surprising — the military is in her blood! Her mother, her uncles, and her grandfather were all in the military too.
In 1997, Mazyck went on active duty and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
It tested her body and mind unlike anything else she had ever done. At one point, it got so tough that she even briefly thought about quitting. But after watching one of her favorite inspirational movies ("G.I. Jane") and having a heartfelt conversation with her female sergeant about the lack of women in the division, Mazyck reminded herself why she wanted to do this.
"The next day," she says, "I was jumping out of the airplane."
And for the next six years, Mazyck flourished.
Everything changed on a windy November day in 2003.
It was a routine jump, Mazyck says, but as the wind took her, something felt different. "This particular time," she explains, "it kept taking me."
Before long, she was tangled up with another jumper and together, they had to figure out the best way to brace their fall.
"Right before we were about to land, our parachute broke loose," she says. "I didn't have enough time to prepare a proper landing."
The fall broke the L1 and L2 vertebrae in her spine and paralyzed her from the waist down.
After the accident, she went through a tough rehabilitation period.
The doctors said she'd never walk again.
But through it all, Mazyck says, her son inspired her to keep pushing herself. Slowly, she was able to recover — and she even walked again with the help of forearm crutches.
"Everything that I went through — my mental toughness, my physical toughness," says Mazyck, "it was all because of [Tristen]."
During her rehab, Mazyck also received a boost from DAV (Disabled American Veterans), a nonprofit charity that empowers veterans and provides lifelong support for them and their loved ones.
"DAV explained that they could assist with any benefit issues and family issues that I may have," says Mazyck. "Nothing but awesome and kind people."
Once she had recovered physically, Mazyck set two new goals to find purpose after her military service: finishing her education and training for the Paralympics.
She had learned about wheelchair games while in rehab and, in 2005, actually competed at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Minnesota.
But, according to Mazyck, school had to come first.
The idea of finishing her degree was scary at first because she wasn't sure how people would treat her. But she made the leap and enrolled at the University of South Carolina in 2006. Her brother was there to support her through the whole process.
Mazyck graduated with a degree in sociology and a minor in women’s studies in December 2010.
"It meant the world to me," she says proudly. "It gave me that boost of confidence that I needed to become a part of society — to contribute to society again [after] being in the military, where, you know, it's our own little bubble."
Then she started training to compete in the Paralympics.
She trained almost every day — which was no easy feat as a single mother! But her mother helped care for her son while she trained. "That gave me comfort in my heart," Mazyck explains, "knowing that I was pursuing my dreams and my son was still being taken care of."
"My support system means the world to me. Without that, there would be no me."
Her hard work paid off. Not only did she compete in the javelin at the London Paralympics in 2012, but she went on to win a bronze medal at the World Championships in France soon after. Today, she travels the country conducting talks and inspiring the next generation of athletes with disabilities.
Thanks to a strong support system and desire to keep pushing herself, Mazyck found a way to keep doing what she loved after her military service.
"Dig deeper and just know that you can do it," adds Mazyck. "It doesn't have to be sports. It doesn't have to be you being a scholar at school. Just find your passion and go with it and don't give up on life — because it's too precious."
"I'm telling you, life truly begins once you live life outside of your comfort zone."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids… 
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie? 
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."