SLEEPY HOLLOW &mdash Tiara Simmons hopes to brag on her Facebook and MySpace pages next month.
At 25, Simmons, a double below-knee amputee who gets around in a wheelchair, is preparing for an endurance challenge that would be hard for seasoned swimmers. On Sept. 13, she will join about 300 swimmers and 100 kayakers in an open-water swim in the Hudson River to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Westchester-Hudson Valley Chapter. The 18th annual Hudson River Swim for Life is also an official part of the quadricentennial celebration of Henry Hudson’s exploration of the Hudson River. Born and raised in Mount Vernon, Simmons, who is studying for her second bachelor’s degree &mdash this one in forensic psychology &mdash describes herself as a “career student.” Both her legs below her knees had to be amputated before she turned 1 as a result of frequent blood clots. She graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 2001, having taken honors and AP classes in Spanish. “I have always been the kind who needs something to do all the time. I can’t sit still for too long unless I’m reading a book,” said Simmons, sitting in the New Rochelle Public Library.
After graduating with a bachelor’s in psychology and Spanish from the College of New Rochelle, Simmons completed a master’s in education from an online university. She hopes to work in juvenile justice one day, and her bachelor’s in forensic psychology is a step in that direction.