SANTEE, Calif. (KGTV) — A man from Santee has been overcoming odds his entire life. The once-nonverbal kid born with autism has now been recognized as the 2025 Special Olympics Southern California Athlete of the Year.
On Monday, like he does every Monday, Thomas Selbe was ringing up customers as a retail salesman for Goodwill in Santee.
"What I love about my job is just being able to make a difference in the community," Selbe said.
Simple interactions with customers might seem small to you, but at one point, they seemed impossible for Thomas.
He was nonverbal until the age of four.
“It was really challenging for me to be able to do the simplest things like ask for a glass of water, or to ask if somebody wanted to be my friend," he said.
Thomas told ABC 10News he's found an outlet through Special Olympics, where his differences are celebrated.
He plays four sports, including floorball, in which he took home a bronze medal with his team in the 2017 World Games in Austria.
“We were able to show the world what we could do," Thomas said.
Now, the kid who couldn't talk teaches others how to be global messengers for the organization.
“We train future athlete leaders to be able to do the same thing, like do public speaking, volunteer at events when they're not competing, and to be able to make a difference in their community as well as around the world," Thomas said.
For these reasons and more, Thomas has been recognized as the 2025 Special Olympics Southern California Athlete of the Year.
“It's just unbelievable," he said. "I mean, just being able to prove that hard work, dedication, courage and good attitude — it all pays off in the end.”
Thomas said, if it wasn't for Special Olympics, and Goodwill, he might still be that kid at home wondering if he would even have a future.
But the once-voiceless can now use his to help others.
“There's hope for you," he said. "You keep up the hard work and fit in with the right group of people, you're going to be well on your way to success."
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