2016 Scholarship Entries

If I had been born in a different country, it’s very likely that I would have been a beggar. I was reminded of this on the metro in Mexico City, when a deaf person would occasionally put a piece of paper into my hand without a word. “Soy sordo/a…” (I am deaf…) it...

Hello, my name is Louie Romero Jr.  I am a senior in high school, I will graduate May 2017.  First I want to thank you for the opportunity apply for this scholarship. My entire life from kindergarten up to being a sophomore in high school, I have struggled to be...

I was only four years old when the doctors and audiologists at Boys Town National Research Hospital told my parents some major news: your daughter suffers from hearing loss. I had gone through several tests and examinations that day, and it was confirmed that I have a...

I would like to introduce myself to you and tell you about some exciting green energy project ideas that I will be starting at California State University, Los Angeles. My name is Gilbert Lopez (Gil). I am currently a full-time student at California State University,...

My hearing impairment has had a big impact on my education. I ended up getting my hearing loss from medicine I received when I was a newborn with a fatal congenital defect. I had previous hearing tests done, but the audiologist never went past 1500 in the frequency...

Here I am again, sitting in the back row of the classroom staring blankly at the teacher. She is going over today’s lesson with vivid verbal detail. More gestures flow from her mouth before she turns her gaze towards me and all I do is give her a confused look. I can...

Walking out of the audiologist’s office at four years old I remember flinching at how loud a passing motorcycle was. Standing there, I heard exactly what my parents whispered as they watched me carefully process this new exciting world with hearing aids. Most...

I never thought that the day would come. The day where the world was imperceptible, the agitation I felt, and the pleasant feeling of receiving a second chance I thought I would never get back. Quiet. We all wish for silence at one point or another. In my opinion, the...

My hearing loss has affected my education because when I was little, One of my friends whispered in my left ear and I couldn't hear anything they said. That’s when I knew something was wrong with the hearing in my left ear. Every day, I would hope to get my hearing...

I was not born deaf. I lost my hearing in first grade when I got meningitis and encephalitis. It was a long and difficult journey to defeat this virus but my family and I won and I was soon implanted with cochlear implants and went back to school in second grade. It...