Reagan Elementary’s Mila Ready for Her Times Square Moment

Seven-year-old Mila doesn’t need a giant screen in Times Square to command an audience. She proved that during an appearance Friday on 17 News at Sunrise.

While her parents, Jessica and Michael, tried to answer questions about their daughter’s upcoming national moment, Mila had other plans.

She spotted herself on a studio monitor. She waved. She danced. Before long, it was clear who was running the interview.

“She wants to be front and center at all times,” Jessica laughed. “Big personality. Big attitude. Determined and independent. She’s all the things.”

Soon, the Reagan Elementary School second grader will have a much bigger stage.

On Sept. 12, her photo will appear in the heart of New York City as part of the National Down Syndrome Society’s annual Times Square Video Presentation, which showcases 500 people with Down syndrome from across the country. The presentation is part of the annual New York City Buddy Walk, which raises awareness and promotes inclusion for people with Down syndrome.

Thousands of photos are submitted for consideration each year, and Mila’s parents have tried more than once to get their daughter into the presentation.

This was her year.            

“We’ve submitted her photo a couple times now,” Jessica said. “We’re super excited to see her face on the big screen.”

For anyone who knows Mila, the idea of her face lighting up Times Square seems fitting. The big personality her parents described on television is just as evident at school.

“Mila is such a sweet and social student who brings a positive energy to the classroom,” said her teacher, Rosa Ayala. “Every morning she shows up with the biggest smile on her face.”

Ayala added that Mila is especially attuned to the people around her, often offering kindness or a helping hand when someone needs it.

“Her excitement for school and her love of connecting with others are such wonderful parts of her personality,” she said. 

That everyday side of Mila is precisely what her parents hope people see when her photo flashes above one of the busiest places in the world. For them, the moment is also an opportunity for people to see their daughter for who she is.

“She does have Down syndrome. That’s always going to be a part of her life, but that’s not her whole life,” Michael said. “She’s a regular kid, just like everybody else.”

That message is at the heart of the Times Square presentation, an annual event designed to celebrate people with Down syndrome and promote greater inclusion and visibility.

Mila’s parents were quick to point out that several Kern County organizations that have become part of Mila’s world, including H.E.A.R.T.S. Connection, the Kern Down Syndrome Network and League of Dreams.

That support, along with the encouragement she receives at home and school, has helped create a world where Mila’s parents see no reason to put limits on what comes next.

“She can do whatever she wants to do and be whatever she wants to be,” Michael said. “She just has to work for it, just like everybody else.”

Those who can’t make it to New York can watch from home. The presentation will be livestreamed on the National Down Syndrome Society’s Facebook page from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. Pacific on Sept. 12.