'She's Very Inspiring:' Skiatook Native Welcomed Home After Winning Gold Medal In 2024 Paralympics

Hometown pride is on full display as people celebrate one of Skiatook's very own. 

“I’m just a small-town girl living a huge dream, and I love it, but it's just so cool to come back to see all my family and my friends and everyone here supporting me,” said Tia Edwards. 

Edwards is a member of the United States sitting volleyball team and just returned from competing in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris … but she didn’t come back empty-handed.

Team USA won it all and Tia secured her second gold medal, adding to her Rio 2016 victory.

Now she’s back in Skiatook to meet those who look up to her like 13-year-old Harper Lawson … who followed Tia’s journey on TV.

“Me and all my siblings, we would always make sure we could watch every single game,” Lawson said. 

She says it was cool to see Team USA come out on top and even cooler that one of the members is from her hometown.

 “It's amazing because there’s not many Olympians from Oklahoma, and for one to be from Skiatook is really awesome,” said Lawson.

With every photo taken and every autograph signed, Tia says it feels good to have her community behind her and she says that support is what pushed her all these years.

 “I’ve been told several times that ‘you’re never going to make it far in life’ and I’m here now, so keep dreaming big and you can do it,” said Edwards. 

Lawson now wants to take that wisdom with her as she grows.

“She’s very inspiring, she’s an amazing woman and she proved that anything is possible,” she said.