Student with Down Syndrome Makes History at KY School after Joining Sorority

Murray, KY- Alexis Cain is making history at Murray State University, in Murray Kentucky.

She is the first student with Down Syndrome to join Greek life at the University.

"We have an Alpha Sigma Alpha!" a recruitment counselor chants, in a video posted to YouTube by the Kentucky Best Buddies Chapter.

The video shows Alexis stepping out on stage to accept her spot as a new sister of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority.

The crowd erupts in cheers as Alexis hugs some of her 130 new sisters.

Camme Cain, Alexis' mother, told the Courier-Journal that she wasn't always sure if Greek life was right for her daughter.

"I didn't do the sorority thing so of course I was hesitant," she said. "I didn't really push it…She said 'mom, I'm going to do it.' I said, 'OK, we'll give it a try.'"

But Cain says her daughter is a "social butterfly" who, not surprisingly, enjoyed the sorority recruitment process. She says she's happy her daughter found a place within the Greek system.

"They weren't afraid of the unknown and the stigma that comes with having a disability," she said. "These are a bunch of good, accepting girls, that would bring her into something like a sorority and just wholeheartedly accept her and support her right off the bat."

Alexis, who graduates in December, only has one semester left in the sorority. But she hopes to continue participating as an alumnus.

Alexis told the student newspaper, The Murray State News, that she didn't know she inspired people.

"I didn't know I inspire people," she said. "It's important for people to know that just because someone has a disability they should look past what they see. We have feelings and don't like the R-word."