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.

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.