I’m Always Here

Sydney Boucher, 22, of North Adams, Mass., cuddles on her bed with her seven-year-old niece Addilyn Spence, of whom she is the legal guardian.

I’m Always Here

Maya Giron

Sydney Boucher, 22, of North Adams, Mass., is a legal guardian to her seven-year-old niece Addilyn Spence. “I’m Always Here” is an audio/photo slideshow that details Sydney’s unique bond with Addilyn.

Sydney struggles to figure out how to act as a parent figure while also sorting out her own life and future. Being forced to step into a parent role so quickly, she begins to question traditional gender roles that have been placed on her at a young age.

Sydney dances in the kitchen of her boyfriend’s apartment on Meadow St., on March 17, 2023. “Me and my mom both had the teachings that the perfect life for a woman is to grow up, fall in love get married,” says Sydney. “And I wanna show her that life has many different paths and that’s not the only way to be a successful woman. There’s so much more.”