Our Grantees
Ashley, from Louisiana, comes from a family of four, and was diagnosed with a severe hearing loss as a newborn. She was mainstreamed and did very well in high school, graduating with a GPA of 3.85. She was also involved in multiple activities, including the soccer team, the Octagon Club, and the National Honor Society among other school activities. She’s also been active in her church, volunteers at local nursing homes and the Humane Society, and has been a camp counselor. Read more -->>
Lindsay, from Oklahoma, comes from a family of six and is currently a sophomore at John Brown University in Arkansas. She is majoring in biochemistry and has currently gotten an 'A' in every class, despite carrying a rigorous premedical curriculum. Because of her stellar work in the honors program, she has been selected to present a paper at the Great Lakes Honors Conference in Oklahoma City. Read more -->>
Panagiota is a graduate of Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Illinois, where she had a 4.3 GPA. She has been involved in a huge number of extracurricular activities as well. These include being class secretary, National Honor Society, student council, leader of 'Relay for Life', and the school newspaper where she was editor-in-chief. She is also a lifelong student of dance, and found that her successes in dance gave her confidence to overcome the obstacles created by her profound hearing loss. Read more -->>
Soraya, from Florida, is one of a family of six children, four of whom are deaf or hard of hearing. Her hearing loss was diagnosed while she was in third grade, and she's dedicated her life to succeed in spite of it. Initially she was mainstreamed, but spent her last two years in high school at the Florida School for the Deaf with her deaf siblings. Soraya was described by one of her teachers there as having "overcome tremendous odds...with grace and dignity", and being "the kind of student that every teacher dreams of having." She is on her school's honor roll and maintained a straight 'A' average in her senior year. Read
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Erin, from Virginia, is described as "hard working, dedicated and enthusiastic...a person of extraordinary character who brings a positive attitude to everything she does." Despite commuting more than two hours daily and taking numerous AP courses, she maintained a stellar grade point average at the rigorous Maggie L. Walker Governor's School. Teachers' recommendations tell of her contribution to classes, her sharp mind, her commitment to excellence, and perhaps most impressive, her unique ability to really “listen” despite her bilateral hearing loss. Read
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Christine finished her first year with a 3.5 GPA, was involved in many activities - including the Campus Activities Board, Environmental Club, Outdoors Club and the Reach Out Center (community service group) - and worked the control desk in the school's Recreation Center. This summer she's worked at a kennel, is an assistant leader in a Boy Scout Troop, an adult Girl Scout, and involved in the Blackstone River Coalition. Read more -->>
Gabriel is entering his sophomore year in the RITs Honors Program, majoring in Computer Science, where he has made the Dean's list. He’s been involved in community service projects in Rochester, such as helping to set up computers in local schools, and has been involved in the InterVarsity Fellowship, leading a study group for Deaf students. He remains interested in working for NASA after graduation. Read
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Alexander is entering his third of five years at Northeastern University, and continues to major in civil engineering with a minor in environmental science. He's been on the Dean's list. Recently he's been in co-op, working for SEA Consultants Inc., a private civil engineering firm; his experience cemented his decision to major in civil engineering. He has tutored a deaf person in math, is vice president of the Deaf Club, and is working on multiple collegiate (e.g., Deaf Awareness Week) and community service activities (e.g., helping to design a bridge for a Boston park). He plans a career in sustainable design engineering. Read
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