How Gallaudet Changed Me

Pardon me if this post is too nostalgic and mushy for your taste, but when I was browsing some of my comments, I came upon this…

I’m in my last year at Gallaudet and I have changed so much since coming here – for the better. I’ve learned so much about what it means to be Deaf and I see myself and others in a whole new light. It has really changed my perspectives with respect to discrimination, limitations in the hearing world, access to total communication, and the amount of support here is incredible. It wasn’t until my last year here, did i realize who my true friends really are. I’ve learned so much about people and their strugggles and successes and had I not came to Gallaudet, I would have never experienced a different world. I do not regret coming here one bit.

I feel pretty much the same as this poster. Granted, I’m not in my last year at Gally, I’ve still got 1 or 2 to go, but occasionally when I look back on my high school years to the person I was then and compare it to the person I am today, I am amazed.

If you asked me 3 or 4 years ago if I thought I would be living in Washington DC today, I’d probably be screaming “NOOOOO!!!” Growing up I was this very shy girl living in a tiny town, so I didn’t get the chance to socialize or make very many friends. Even though most of my family is deaf, I felt like I wasn’t truly deaf.

I decided to go to Gally because I realized that I was sick of being the only deaf person in school, I was sick of making friends through interpreters, I wanted a chance to succeed without people feeling sorry for me. I was scared, sure, I hate going to the city and feel real anxious whenever I visit one, so how was I supposed to adjust from living in a town where the number of turkeys outweigh the number of people to Washington DC?

Freshman year was hard, but sophomore year was better, I met more friends, and junior year has been the best by far. I truly feel that I am where I belong, even though I could do without the whole city-living type of life here. I feel as if my identity is clearer than it used to be in high school, I’ve made so many friends, my confidence level has skyrocketed, and I’m doing things I always wanted to do but was too scared to try. I think this is all due to Gally’s way of making everything accessible to everyone and encouraging students to succeed.

There are days when I hate this campus and am dying to go back home to the safety of my house, but then there are days where I feel as if I can do anything I want to and that there is nothing stopping me. I never felt that way at home. So, thank you Gallaudet.

Alright, I’m gonna stop the mushy train right here before this turns into Sobfest 2010. Send me questions if you’ve got ‘em!

Cheers,
Heather

Classes and the “WhatAmIGonnaDo” Dilemma

Hey there, gblog readers! Winter break is officially over, and we are a week and a half into the spring semester at Gallaudet University. A month long break really does not feel like enough time, especially if you live a ways from Gally and don’t get to go home very often.

So… this semester I’ll be taking five classes in total, to give you an idea of the type of classes that a English and Secondary Education major might be taking, I’ll explain what they’re about. I am taking the following classes…

ENG 408- This class is a required English class for English majors and it basically discusses multi-cultural perspectives. Seems pretty interesting so far.

ENG 406- Also another required English class, this class covers American Literature from 1865 to the present. I think I’ll be enjoying this class since I’m crazy for American Literature.

ENG 375- An elective class that counts towards my English major, this class is about media literacy, and it is also my cake class, you know, the classes you take because you know you’ll ace it.

EDU 440- This one is required for my Secondary Education major, it basically covers an introduction to curriculum. Seems pretty challenging, but I think it will be something to improve my teaching skills.

EDU 441- Also required, this class focuses on literacy. I admit this class makes me nervous since I will be required to tutor high school students. Yikes!

Graduation is a long way off, but it seems as if it also is really nearby at the same time. It’s really making me think about what I want to do after college, I know my goal has been to be an English teacher for deaf high school students, but there are times when I wonder if it is what I really want to do. Which is completely normal, I can’t tell you how many students I’ve met here who have no idea what to do in the future. Of course, Gally does offer services such as academic advising to help you decide what to do in the future, but still, it doesn’t completely solve the problem.

I would like it very much if I could major in something that interested me but still guaranteed me a job the minute I graduate. Psh, like that’ll ever happen, heh.

If you’ve got questions, ask away!

Cheers,
Heather

Gally’s Quality of Education

Hey fellow readers!

Been a while, eh? It’s currently winter break for most of us Gallaudetians so I’m currently at home sweet home in Minnesota. It’s about -10 degrees here, my kind of weather! The first semester of my junior year is over, and wow, it was incredibly hard to get through. I joined a sorrority– Delta Zeta, it was a lot of fun making new friends and I definitely don’t regret it. But then disaster struck, my beloved dog, Bingo, the dog I had since I was seven had to be put to sleep. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to him and staying focused on school was just so hard. I’m sure many of you have been through the same thing. I love Gally, don’t get me wrong, but at times like these, I wish I went to school closer to home. But the things I’ve learned and got to experience during my time here so far has been incredible, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Sorry to be so personal, but I thought it was important to blog about some of the challenges college students go through.

Anyway, I finally got another question! To the person who asked this, I hope you don’t mind that I’m answering your question on my blog. If you or anyone else wants to contact me to find out more about Gally, feel free to email me at heather.breitbach@gallaudet.edu

Here’s their question:

Hi,

I’m a high school senior, and I just received a full 4-year scholarship to Gallaudet. Before I got this scholarship, I didn’t want to go. But it is certainly appealing… not to have to pay off loans when I graduate. But I’m concerned about the quality of education at Gallaudet. Is the honors program good or is it just a joke? What year are you at Gallaudet? Do you feel like this school is going to prepare you for the real world? I’d like to talk to you more about Gallaudet, if that’s possible?

Wow, full 4-year scholarships ain’t easy to come by, so congrats! I most definitely agree that money is definitely a huge factor in deciding where you want to go to college.

To answer your question, I’m currently a junior or a third-year student here at Gallaudet, double majoring in Secondary Education and English, which means I would like to teach English at a high-school level. In regards to the honors program, I personally turned down the offer to join, I just thought it would be too much work. I don’t know too much about the program, but I’ve heard opinions about it from both ends of the spectrum. Some say that it is very challenging, time-consuming, and ultimately not worth it. Others really enjoy it, saying that the things they’ve learned apply to real life.

Now, about Gally’s education in general– it really depends on what you’re interested in studying or majoring in. We’re obviously not Harvard, but we certainly do have areas that stand out in the quality of education, I’ve heard a lot of good things about our Social Work/Counseling programs and Education programs. But there are some programs that, well, kinda suck. I’ve taken a wide variety of classes and it just seems to me, maybe I’m biased or whatever, that the English and Education classes were by far the most challenging, in a stimulating way, and the most beneficial of most of the classes I’ve taken. I must say that most of our professors and major advisors are really helpful with connecting your studies to the future.

All in all, the quality of education here at Gally really depends on the area you’re studying, there are some cake classes that people take to get an easy A, but every university tends to have those, but there are also a lot of intellectually stimulating classes available also. With the recent addition of GSR classes (general studies requirements) that all new freshmen are required to take, there is a lot of focus on choosing a major that fits you and will help you to find a career in the future. So basically, there’s a lot of preparation for the real world.

Sorry if all this is confusing, but my honest opinion is that Gallaudet University is a great place to be, but your experience, whether it be emotionally, mentally, or academically, all depends on what you make of it. I came to Gally as a freshmen because I had basically no other place to go where I would fit in as well as I do here, I didn’t give a hoot about their quality of education, even though I had heard some negative things about it. But when I got here, I was pretty much flabbergasted. I basically coasted through high school and was never truly challenged academically and a lot of things about real life were sugarcoated. For me, Gallaudet has forced me to work harder, not to the death, but to an area where I feel as though I am not only learning, but wanting to learn. And for me, what I’ve learned here has definitely prepared me for the real world.

Good luck with your decision, I really hope you pick Gally, but of course, you should pick the college that will suit you the best.

Thanks for such a challenging question, I hope I cleared things up for you!
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you want to know more about anything, I love questions!

Cheers,
Heather

Hearing Students and Discrimination

Last August… gosh that seems so long ago… a person sent me a message on Facebook asking me a few questions about Gallaudet University. I thought the questions were pretty interesting and wanted to share them with you, with permission from the person, of course.

Here’s their question:
Well, i’m hearing and i want to be a speech therapist and its been my dream to go to Gallaudet for a while. I was wondering if i lived on campus and had classes with Deaf students would discriminated against?

This kinda puts me in a tough spot, I don’t want to make it seem that Gally is a horrible, horrible college (it’s obviously not), at the same time, I don’t want to make it seem like Gally is incredibly perfect. Every university has its flaws of course, with that said….

Real discrimination, is of course, not allowed at Gally. But if we’re talking about the kind of thing where you’re judged by who you are, then that does, unfortunately, happen.

A hearing student attending Gallaudet can set off different reactions. Some people may be really accepting of hearing students and value their interest in the deaf community. Lots of deaf students have hearing friends, and lots of hearing students become really involved with the university.

On the other hand, there are, unfortunately, some students have that “Deaf Pride” attitude, which can be a good thing, but is sometimes abused. Basically, they view Gallaudet as a deaf person’s paradise, where we are free from ridicule and discrimination from the outside world. So when a hearing person attends the only liberal arts college for the deaf in the world, especially when there are plenty of colleges for hearing students, deaf students can get a little territorial. This basically means they may not accept you, but I believe this to be a very small portion of Gallaudet University.

It all really depends on the attitude you bring to Gally. If you are open to new experiences and basically everything that could happen at Gally, you’ll be just fine. Discrimination by other students is hard to put up with (but of course, if it gets serious, you should report it), but almost every student here, hearing and deaf has been through it. For example, a lot of students judged me by my signing skills and the fact that I attended a mainstream high school and didn’t know much people here… even though I have deaf parents.

I’ve always found this quote to help me in situations like that… “It’s none of your business what other people think of you.”

If you’ve got questions… I’ve got answers!

Cheers,
Heather

Student Health Services

Hello readers!

Pardon me for not blogging on a regular schedule, I have a really good excuse, I promise! I’ve been sick for the past week or so with strep throat. It was the worst I’ve ever felt during my time here at Gallaudet University. On the plus side, I got excused from a couple of classes. On the not-so-plus side, it felt like I was hacking out my lungs for a few days.

But anyway, I’m back and feeling much better! In fact, my personal experience inspired a blog topic! I’m sure some of you prospective students or Gally supporters out there wonder what services are available to you when you become sick. Never fear! I’m here to tell you about the magic of Student Health Services (SHS).

Sure, Gally is located in a city where it is possible to survive without a car and completely rely on public transportation. But at the same time, it can get pretty scary and confusing, especially for a country girl like me. So when you get sick, it’s pretty uncomfortable for some students to go to the nearest clinic or hospital, even though they are available, such as Georgetown.

But, Gallaudet has it own clinic on campus and shares it with Model Secondary School for the Deaf. SHS’s services are limited in some ways, for example, they can help you if you’re not feeling too well and prescribe you medication, but if you’ve got a serious condition and need a more qualified doctor, you’ll be referred to another hospital or clinic. All in all, it’s pretty cool having a nurse right on campus for those days when you’re so sick, you really want your Mommy.

On another note, I thought I would close each blog with a fun fact about Gallaudet University, so here we go: Fun Fact #1…

Fun Fact #1
Every semester, Gallaudet holds an internship and job fair at the Kellogg Conference Center and Hotel here on campus. This really helps with finding internships that relate to your major and jobs for the summer or perhaps when you graduate. Interpreters are provided, of course!

Cheers,
Heather

Green Gallaudet!

I wanted to take a moment to recognize Gallaudet’s efforts at becoming more environmentally friendly. While there are more improvements that could be made, this is quite a step, and it deserves recognition.

One of the ‘green’ things I’ve noticed are the new cups available in the Marketplace and Rathskellar, they all explain how they are made from corn instead of dozens of nasty chemicals used to make a typical plastic cup. I do wonder if being made from corn actually means these cups are environmentally friendly, but I’ll just have to go with the assumption that they are and praise Gally for its efforts. Another example includes the napkins which are brown, meaning they are more environmentally friendly than white napkins which require more chemicals and pollution in order to dye the paper white. That’s pretty much what I’ve noticed so far… has anyone else seen anything new and ‘green’?

I don’t mean to belittle these efforts, while they certainly make an impact on our environment, I wish Gallaudet would strive to make an even bigger impact by perhaps using all green materials to remodel or build new buildings that are needed on campus. It would certainly make a difference not only in our environment, but in people’s perception of Gallaudet. Gallaudet could be seen as a university that truly gives back to the world, not just to everyone associated with deaf culture.

On another note, I’m scrambling for blog topics here… I wonder if there are any lingering questions relating to Gallaudet eating away at your minds that you desperately need answered? If so, aim them at me! Leave your question as a comment on this blog, and I’ll do my absolute best to answer it.

Cheers,
Heather

Gallaudet Announces Presidential Finalists

It’s finally here! Last Wednesday, Gallaudet announced the four finalists for this university’s next president!

The finalists include: Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz, the president of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and vice president/dean of the Rochester Institute of Technology for NTID, Dr. Ronald J. Stern, the superintendent/chief executive officer for the New Mexico School for the Deaf, Dr. Roslyn Rosen, the director of the National Center on Deafness at California State University Northridge, and Gallaudet’s own provost: Dr. Stephen F. Weiner.

Gally provided this website for those of you who wish to find out more about the presidential finalists: http://psac.gallaudet.edu/

I don’t know much about any of the finalists, but I do hope that this presidential search goes much more smooth than the last search and that Gally’s next president will continue to improve our fine school!

What’s your take on the presidential search?

Cheers,
Heather

Hidey Ho!

Hello again, fellow readers! After a fun-filled summer, I’m back at good ol’ Gally, putting my nose to the grindstone, as my grandmother puts it.

With school starting tomorrow, I’ve been looking over my classes with anticipation, I’m taking five classes, or 19 credits, the maximum number of credits students are allowed to take at Gallaudet. I guess we’ll see how that works out.

Two of the classes I am taking are GSR integrated learning classes, which means that they are classes that sort of combine two subject areas by team teaching. The way this works is there are two professors, each teaches a certain subject, but combine their lesson plans, policies, activities, and so on. These are part of the new curriculum that Gallaudet introduced in the fall of 2007, instilling a major improvement in our education.

GSR integrated courses have their pros and cons. The cons being that it can be difficult for the professors to team teach. I had a professor last semester that would sit back during lectures and basically not say much at all unless prompted by the other prof. Two professors can also mean confusion with turning in assignments, class policies, and general lessons.

Pros include the fact that you’re learning from two professors! Which, in my opinion, sort of gives you a bigger experience than if you had taken a class with a single professor. Also, one professor’s talents make up for the other’s flaws, which makes it easier for you to do well in the class.

In addition to these GSR courses, I am also taking two English major courses and an education major course. I’ve been resolving to do fantastically well this fall in my schoolwork among other things.
What are some of your resolutions for the fall?

On another note, I’ve been seeing plenty of freshmen around campus and I’m reminded of my first year at Gally, which I spent completely homesick. I hope my freshmen readers understand that almost everyone felt or still feels the same way. The best way to deal with it is to keep busy or talk to someone, including me! I’d be happy to listen or answer any of your questions!

Here’s to a wonderful fall semester!
Cheers,
Heather

“Urinetown” and the Gallaudet Dance Company

Gally’s always got something going on, plays, musicals, dance performances, workshops… you name it, we got it. Most of them are free for Gallaudet students too, a wonderful plus for most of us broke college students.

So last week, my roommate and I watched the Gallaudet Dance Company’s spring show. Admission was free, which made me happy, and I had nothing better to do on a Saturday night anyway… I know, I’m pathetic. Anyhoo, let me give out a huge round of applause for the people involved with this performance, it was enjoyable and simply fantastic. I especially loved the part where a bunch of kids climbed up on stage and performed a hip-hop number, so cute! Some dances were adapted to ASL with performers signing the lyrics, like Rihanna’s “Disturbia,” which was converted to dance that presented the issue of deaf people not being allowed to sign. I walked away feeling as if that was the best way to spend an hour and a half.

Then, last Friday, my roommate and I went to see Gally’s production of “Urinetown” a funny and engaging play that also bears a lot of similarities to the world we live in today. I’m not going to go into a whole synopsis but simply say that it was about water shortage and the increasing cost of peeing. The idea of actually having to pay to pee is funny, but as the play went on, it got more serious and not so unrealistic. Two thumbs up from this blogger!

I’d like to encourage everyone to go see every performance Gally has to offer, they thrive on our support! Most are free, so if they really suck, at least you didn’t shell out ten bucks and you’ll only have wasted a few hours.

Cheers,
Heather

Spring Break Part Deux

Continuing from where I left off last week… when I arrived in Alabama, I found that most of my expectations were right, and wrong. First, I found that not every place in Alabama is a trailer, complete with a front porch, rocking chairs, banjos, hound dogs, and beer cans. Alabama is actually quite beautiful in some places. Picture rolling green hills, red soil, pine trees, and old plantation homes. I also found that I was right in thinking that Alabama accents are funny as heck, they’re just so twangy and slow!

Anyway, after touring the Alabama School for the Deaf, which is a very nice school, complete with ancient magnolia trees, we headed to Atlanta, Georgia to take a peek at the world’s largest aquarium… I’ve never seen so many fishies! Stingrays, whale sharks, and otters, oh my!

On our way to the aquarium, we stopped at Jonesboro, Georgia. Now, if you’ve read and watched “Gone With the Wind” as much as I have, you’ll know that Jonesboro is where the main character, Scarlett lives. So the four of us (me, my mother, aunt, and cousin) stopped and visited a “Gone With the Wind” museum, complete with memorabilia, little known facts, and dress replicas. Trust me, I’m a “Gone With the Wind” freak.

After a few more days, we unfortunately had to head back to Minnesota. Of course, I was laid up with a huge cold, which excused me from driving… yay! But I was stuck listening to Tracy Chapman and The Police for most of the way home. Mind you, they’re both awesome, but after 14 hours, I’m liable to pull my hair out.

My spring break was odd and unexpected, but it was quite an experience to cross off from my “bucket list,” and of course, it is always nice to be with my family. By the way, how was yours?

Cheers,
Heather