The world is not designed for everyone. While this statement may seem pessimistic, it is a reality I have lived with since childhood. Diagnosed as a toddler with profound sensorineural hearing loss in my right ear and mild sensorineural hearing loss in my left ear, I constantly found myself working tirelessly to adapt to a world that did not accommodate my needs. Growing up, each of my schools worked hard to help support me. Various FM systems were tried, but these systems do have drawbacks. In some cases, the devices would amplify surrounding noises, making it hard to hear the teacher. Other systems had feedback issues, which would be very distracting. In some cases, the systems made it harder to hear other students, which was especially problematic when classes were working collaboratively. Throughout my life, I found ways to minimize the challenges. I have learned to make adjustments, such as positioning myself to the right of a primary speaker, so I have the best chance of hearing, sitting in the front of all my classes, and also focusing on a speaker’s lips as a way to help me comprehend what is being said. Being hard of hearing during the COVID-19 pandemic presented uncharted obstacles. Masks led to muffled voices, which made it even more difficult to fully understand people. Masks also made it impossible to read lips. Despite the challenges, I committed myself to excel in school, sports, and my community. I graduated high school with a 4.0 unweighted GPA and was a member of the National Honor Society, the Art Honor Society, and the American Sign Language (ASL) Honor Society. As a varsity athlete, I was inducted into the Athletic Honor Society, in which I achieved the High Honor Award. My profound hearing loss has made me sensitive to the fact that, in everyday life, not everyone is accommodated. This realization guided me to pursue a degree in which I can be a catalyst for change. Now, I am attending the New Jersey Institute of Technology as a Dean's Scholar, studying industrial design. An industrial designer marries art and design with technology and engineering to create products and solve problems. My goal is to view product creation through a lens of accessibility to support underrepresented people and make their daily lives easier. The industrial design solution can be very complex, such as the development of closed-captioning smart glasses that allow deaf people to “see” and read conversations in real-time. A solution also can be seemingly simple, such as a clear face mask that allows for lip reading. The development of clear masks during COVID was the difference between isolation and inclusion for me and many others in the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community. Regardless of complexity, all of these creations have the ability to help countless people. There is significant room for progress in society in terms of accessibility, and I am eager to contribute to this change. Through my work in industrial design, I aim to create products that make inclusivity the standard and forge a world designed for everyone.

The world is not designed for everyone. While this statement may seem pessimistic, it is a reality I have lived with since childhood. Diagnosed as a toddler with profound sensorineural hearing loss in my right ear and mild sensorineural hearing loss in my left ear, I constantly found myself working tirelessly to adapt to a world that did not accommodate my needs. Growing up, each of my schools worked hard to help support me. Various FM systems were tried, but these systems do have drawbacks. In some cases, the devices would amplify surrounding noises, making it hard to hear the teacher. Other systems had feedback issues, which would be very distracting. In some cases, the systems made it harder to hear other students, which was especially problematic when classes were working collaboratively. Throughout my life, I found ways to minimize the challenges. I have learned to make adjustments, such as positioning myself to the right of a primary speaker, so I have the best chance of hearing, sitting in the front of all my classes, and also focusing on a speaker’s lips as a way to help me comprehend what is being said. Being hard of hearing during the COVID-19 pandemic presented uncharted obstacles. Masks led to muffled voices, which made it even more difficult to fully understand people. Masks also made it impossible to read lips. Despite the challenges, I committed myself to excel in school, sports, and my community. I graduated high school with a 4.0 unweighted GPA and was a member of the National Honor Society, the Art Honor Society, and the American Sign Language (ASL) Honor Society. As a varsity athlete, I was inducted into the Athletic Honor Society, in which I achieved the High Honor Award. My profound hearing loss has made me sensitive to the fact that, in everyday life, not everyone is accommodated. This realization guided me to pursue a degree in which I can be a catalyst for change. Now, I am attending the New Jersey Institute of Technology as a Dean's Scholar, studying industrial design. An industrial designer marries art and design with technology and engineering to create products and solve problems. My goal is to view product creation through a lens of accessibility to support underrepresented people and make their daily lives easier. The industrial design solution can be very complex, such as the development of closed-captioning smart glasses that allow deaf people to “see” and read conversations in real-time. A solution also can be seemingly simple, such as a clear face mask that allows for lip reading. The development of clear masks during COVID was the difference between isolation and inclusion for me and many others in the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community. Regardless of complexity, all of these creations have the ability to help countless people. I am eager to contribute to a world designed for everyone through my work in industrial design, creating products that make inclusivity the standard.

Be proactive. Find the role in which you make the greatest impact. Listen to and learn from everyone, from mentors and managers to colleagues and the community that you serve. Bring the drive, will, and motivation to move each task in a positive direction. Trust that small acts matter because the overall impact of collective efforts makes a meaningful difference. These are all lessons I learned while volunteering with Girls on the Run, Achilles International, Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, and as a National Honor Society tutor. As a coach with Girls on the Run (GOTR) New Jersey East, I worked with younger girls to foster self-esteem, communication skills, and a sense of teamwork. I led weekly practices where we participated in physical and mental exercises to empower those young girls, as well as to provide them with the confidence they need to pursue fields in which women are underrepresented, such as STEM. I also volunteer as a guide runner for Achilles International's New Jersey Chapter. Volunteering with this organization has allowed me to support individuals with disabilities in an active setting. My involvement as a guide runner has also provided me with first-hand insight into the diverse challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. I have dedicated years to fighting food insecurity through my work volunteering at the annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive in Plainfield and serving as a Morning Star Community Center food distribution volunteer in Linden. It was there where I learned that food pantries can be the difference between a young child being hungry or that child having the nourishment they need to go out into their community and be their best. As a National Honor Society tutor, I would arrive at school an hour early or take time out of my lunch some days to tutor my fellow students in various subjects, from American Sign Language and Mathematics to English and World History. I am aware of the fact that not everyone learns in the same way. One teacher's method of educating may work for some students but certainly not for every student. This inspired my desire to start tutoring because tutors can be flexible and tailor their teaching style to best suit the needs of each student. I have seen how tutoring can help people realize their academic abilities, and I am thankful that I was able to positively contribute. Each of these efforts gives people the tools they need to help lift the entire community in the future. I plan to continue such efforts with these organizations and impactful organizations like them. I hope to apply my learnings and continue to represent and support my community to help make it a better place for all of its members. My time volunteering is valuable to me because, in addition to the satisfaction of being a contributing member of the community, I saw firsthand how not everyone is accommodated in daily life. Now, I am attending the New Jersey Institute of Technology studying industrial design. An industrial designer works to create a new product or a new design of an existing product. My goal is to view product creation through a lens of accessibility and sustainability to support underrepresented people and make a lasting impact on future generations.

Be proactive. Find the role in which you make the greatest impact. Listen to and learn from everyone, from mentors and managers to colleagues and the community that you serve. Bring the drive, will, and motivation to move each task in a positive direction. Trust that small acts matter because the overall impact of collective efforts makes a meaningful difference. These are all lessons I learned while volunteering with Girls on the Run, Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, and as a National Honor Society tutor. As a junior coach with Girls on the Run (GOTR) New Jersey East, I worked with younger girls to foster self-esteem, communication skills, and a sense of teamwork. I led weekly practices where we participated in physical and mental exercises to empower those young girls, as well as to provide them with the confidence they need to pursue fields in which women are underrepresented, such as STEM. I have also focused on fighting food insecurity, volunteering for years at the annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive in Plainfield and serving as a Morning Star Community Center food distribution volunteer in Linden. It was there where I learned that food pantries can be the difference between a young child being hungry or that child having the nourishment they need to go out into their community and be their best. As a National Honor Society tutor, I would arrive at school an hour early or take time out of my lunch some days to tutor my fellow students in various subjects, from American Sign Language and Mathematics to English and World History. I am aware of the fact that not everyone learns in the same way. One teacher's method of educating may work for some students but certainly not for every student. This inspired my desire to start tutoring because tutors can be flexible and tailor their teaching style to best suit the needs of each student. I have seen how tutoring can help people realize their academic abilities, and I am thankful that I was able to positively contribute. Each of these efforts gives people the tools they need to help lift the entire community in the future. I plan to continue such efforts with these organizations and impactful organizations like them. I hope to apply my learnings and continue to represent and support my community to help make it a better place for all of its members. My time volunteering is valuable to me because, in addition to the satisfaction of being a contributing member of the community, I saw firsthand how not everyone is accommodated in daily life. Now, I am attending the New Jersey Institute of Technology studying industrial design. An industrial designer works to create a new product or a new design of an existing product. My goal is to view product creation through a lens of accessibility and sustainability to support underrepresented people and make their daily lives a little easier.

When I was a toddler, I was diagnosed with hearing loss. My official diagnosis is profound sensorineural hearing loss in my right ear and mild sensorineural hearing loss in my left ear. I have a Section 504 classification due to my hearing loss. Over the years, I have adjusted to certain challenges with a variety of coping mechanisms. Growing up, each of my schools worked hard to help support me. Various FM systems were tried, but these systems do have drawbacks. In some cases, the devices would amplify surrounding noises, making it hard to hear the teacher. Other systems had feedback issues, which would be very distracting. In some cases, the systems made it harder to hear other students, which was especially problematic when classes were working collaboratively. Throughout my life, I found ways to minimize the challenges. Hearing aids have provided major benefits for me, however, I still have to make adjustments so that I have the best chance of hearing. I position myself to the right of a primary speaker, sit in front of all my classes, and focus on a speaker’s lips to help me comprehend what is being said. This has helped me keep up in conversations and better understand people in certain situations. I believe it also has made me a more attentive, thoughtful listener, as I am always concentrating hard on what is being said to me. Being hard of hearing during the COVID-19 pandemic presented additional challenges. Masks led to muffled voices, which made it even more difficult to fully understand people. Masks also made it impossible to read lips. Despite the challenges, I worked hard to maintain my grades throughout the pandemic. The situation made me more self-sufficient and resourceful to ensure that I would not fall behind in my classes. My experiences growing up have made me sensitive to the fact that, in everyday life, not everyone is accommodated. Now, I am attending university, studying industrial design. An industrial designer combines art and the sciences to create a new product or a new design of an existing product. My goal is to use industrial design to create accessible solutions to the many problems, both big and small, that underrepresented people face. The product design solution can be very complex, such as the development of closed-captioning smart glasses that allow deaf people to “see” and read conversations in real-time. A solution also can be seemingly simple, such as a clear face mask that allows for lip reading. The development of clear masks during COVID made life for me, and for many others in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, easier. Regardless of complexity, all of these creations have the ability to help countless people, and I am excited to make a positive difference in the greater community as an industrial designer.

As a toddler, I was diagnosed with profound sensorineural hearing loss in my right ear and mild sensorineural hearing loss in my left ear, leading to a Section 504 classification for support. Over the years, I have adjusted to certain challenges using coping mechanisms such as lip reading. Being hard of hearing during the COVID-19 pandemic presented additional challenges. Masks led to muffled voices, which made it more difficult to understand people. Masks also made it impossible to read lips. Despite the challenges, I worked hard to maintain my grades throughout the pandemic. My experiences made me aware that, in everyday life, not everyone is accommodated. Now at university, studying industrial design, my goal is to view product creation through a lens of accessibility to support underrepresented people and make their daily lives easier. The product design solution can be complex, such as closed-captioning smart glasses that allow deaf people to “see” conversations in real time. A solution also can be seemingly simple, such as a clear face mask that allows for lip reading. Regardless of complexity, all these creations can help countless people. I am excited to make a difference in the greater community as an industrial designer.