Last year when I submitted my application for this scholarship, I had a strong connection to Israel and with my Jewish heritage. I has just lost my bubbie and was able to share the letter I had written to her for her funeral as my submission for this scholarship as it sufficiently summarized her influence on me and my life. Since October 7th, my connection to my Judaism and Israel only strengthened. Moreover, my understanding of my bubbie's childhood in Poland and the fears that she and the rest of the Jewish word felt during the holocaust has become tangible. The fears, horrors, and worries of what could happen to my family and my community deeply connected me to my ancestors and changed the way I see my grandparents. The strength and courage of my ancestors are why I am in the position I am today to be pursuing a doctoral degree. Every single one of my ancestors who faced persecution and death for simply being Jewish. Every single one of my ancestors who escaped with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Every single one of my ancestors who was betrayed by their governments, friends, and communities. Every single one of my ancestors who left everything behind to find safety for their children and their children's children. Every single one of my ancestors have changed me as a person. Because without their resilience and will to survive and strength to carry on, I would not be alive, and I most certainly would not have the luxury of becoming well-educated. Since October 7th I have gained clarity on how the world truly feels about the Jewish people, and how quickly those we think of as friends can turn on us. It is because of my ancestors that I have an innate resilience and strength that has led to my academic successes. I will never take for granted the freedoms we have in this country or the pain and suffering our people have faced. So, in addition to my bubbie's profound influences on my life through my love for HaShem and our shared love of music and Entertainment Tonight, we share now, more than ever, this deep resilience and love for our people. My bubbie influenced my love for making Shabbat, and taught me the importance of family. Now I understand why. Now I can appreciate the importance of holding on to our culture and traditions as tight as we can, so that hate will never overshadow the traditions of our ancestors who fought to keep us alive.

My bubie grew up in Lodz, Poland. Her entire extended family was wiped out during the holocaust. She was the strongest person that I knew and recently passed away in her late 90s surrounded by the family that she had created. Her resilience was remarkable, and her zest for life and dry humor was what held our family together. My bubie always instilled in us Jewish values; marry a Jewish man, always make Shabbat, and follow traditions. My bubie was very proud of me for pursuing my doctorate in audiology. "You're going to be a dachteh?" she would say to me. It was impossible to imagine that I would be granted such an opportunity. Her early years were filled with pain and suffering, and here I am, as a result of her strength, pursuing this degree. When my bubie passed away, I wrote her this letter: Dear Bubie, How lucky are we to have had 28 years to get to know each other? I am so grateful that you are my bubie. I am so grateful for the sleepovers I used to have at your home, listening to your favourite jazz music and experiencing your famous Vaseline facials. I'm grateful for your "sinker" matzo balls, and endless bags of chocolate and candy. Listening to the ocean in your jumbo seashells, drinking extra pulp orange juice out of half washed glasses, and gossiping about our good friends, the Jolie-Pitts. I'm grateful for the times I got to visit you in Florida, hear you sing along with Bing Crosby, and play with your den lamp that reminded me of a tire swing. Writing this letter, I can hear you singing and can smell the Vaseline and chocolate. But Bubie, I owe you an apology. I took you for granted. When you moved to Baycrest, I felt uncomfortable visiting and did not visit you enough. It wasn't because I didn't want to see you or visit you. It wasn’t because of the smells or the sights or even because I was too busy. It was because visiting you at Baycrest meant no more sleepovers. It meant no more jumbo seashells to listen to. No more tire swing lamps or Vaseline facials. It meant no more sinker matzoh balls and no more trips to Florida. It meant slowly watching my bubie forget my name and slip away. I can't believe I'll never see you again in this lifetime. I can't fathom that you'll never watch me walk down the aisle or meet my kids, and I am so sorry about that, bubie, because I know how badly you wanted to be there. But I think you'd be so proud of me. I'm gonna be a doctor. I'm gonna help people. One thing I don't think many people know is that we have something very special in common. We both have a unique and personal connection to God and talk to Him directly. I talk to God when I am hopeful, when I am sad, when I am scared or angry, but most often, I turn to God to thank Him for all the blessings he has put into my life. I thank God for my family and I thank God for the 28 years he gave me with my beautiful bubie. I hope you and Zadie keep visiting me in my sleep. There's no more distance now because you are always next to me. I love you forever, I'll see you again one day. But, so long for now, Taylor

The word 'addiction' tends to elicit imagery of an individual who is beyond help, stumbling on the street and choosing to abuse drugs. I must admit, before recognizing my addiction, this was how I viewed addiction as well. My addiction was not drug-related or alcohol-related. After extensive therapy, it was uncovered that I have a difficult time escaping the cycle of compulsive behaviors that make me feel fulfilled. My addiction, in combination with other mental health disorders triggered by childhood trauma, was a love and validation addiction. I was dependent on the attention of my boyfriend. I needed him. If he couldn't talk to me I would emotionally cheat with other men to receive that fix of serotonin released from the validation and approval of others. After that relationship inevitably failed and I attempted to take my own life due to the immense physical pain of abandonment and love withdrawal, I was forced to complete in-patient mental health treatment. My addiction had almost killed me. With the help of doctors and therapists, I began to find other ways of coping and I started to realize that I could fill my void with self-love. Recovery to me doesn't mean that the disease is gone or that that part of my personality ceases to exist. Recovery means being okay. Learning tools that can make being an addict less painful. I now am pursuing my doctorate, exploring the US as a Canadian citizen, and focused on loving myself. I am in recovery.

As an audiology graduate student, I am always fascinated by the rapid growth in technology from hearing aids to assistive listening technology and cochlear implants. Hearing aids began using simple mechanical technology and today, hearing aids of all technology levels are compatible with smartphones and can be used in place of headphones, streaming music and TV directly to the patient's ears. Additionally, bimodal hearing aid and cochlear implant users can have their separate devices pair, to match the temporal and phase features of the sound wave, minimizing the potential for imbalance or dizziness. Another fascinating piece of technology is a new device that is a hearing aid that sits deep in the patient's canal and can only be placed or removed by an audiologist certified by the company. It is waterproof and does not need to be removed until adjustments need to be made. This device can be helpful for those with dexterity issues, or those with special needs who may have trouble with keeping their hearing aid on their ear. The functionality of newer devices is increasingly improving, while the devices are getting smaller and more discreet for a more aesthetic appeal. The goal of hearing aid technology is to improve the communication skills of patients of all ages with all types of hearing loss, and with the rapidly increasing technology, more features and improvement of appearance may attract more people to pursue hearing aids which may improve their quality of life. I am excited to be a part of this growing field and to observe the ongoing changes and improvements in hearing technology.

The dream version of my future self is to be a well-rounded woman who can balance her career in audiology helping people, with a family life and personal life, always looking to give back to her community.