Hometown: Tonganoxie, Kansas
Youth Leadership Experience
From Tonganoxie, Kansas, Perry Shogren is set to make his USA Games debut as part of the Youth Leadership Experience. A sophomore at Tonganoxie High School, Perry has been involved with Special Olympics Kansas for two years, competing in Unified Bowling, Soccer, and Basketball. He also participates in Unified PE and E-Sports, making him the first student at his school to be part of every Unified activity offered.
For Perry, Special Olympics has meant more than just competition. It’s opened the door to new friendships and lasting connections. “Special Olympics has helped me make new friends,” he said. After once struggling to find peers to hang out with, Perry found belonging through Unified sports and school events with his Peer Models.
Perry says he is most proud of the friendships he has built and the chance to represent Kansas at the USA Games. He’s preparing for the competition by training with his Peer Model and learning more about Minnesota ahead of his first big trip. “It means that we were picked to go. I am excited to fly to Minnesota,” he said.
Outside of sports, Perry enjoys video games, TikTok, and volunteering with his classroom in the community. He also has a unique talent…He can identify countries around the world just by their outline, and he loves learning about flags. Perry admires his mom most of all, sharing, “She cooks me dinner every day, she helps me do my work, she loves me.”
He’s attending the 2026 USA Games as part of the Youth Leadership Experience, a deliberately planned series of activities designed to engage Special Olympics youth leaders and develop their knowledge of inclusive youth leadership, management of Special Olympics events, and community programming. The skills learned at a YLE will empower youth leaders to return to their schools and communities as agents of change.
