The Right Fit

I attended mainstream schools, and most of my friends growing up were all hearing. Searching for a college was easy for me. RIT was my top choice because it offered me the opportunity to be around other deaf people, so I could relate to others like me as well as continue to learn and socialize with hearing individuals. The college provided support services I needed, and it offered a hands-on education that would prepare me for a job in the future. I knew I wouldn’t find the same opportunities and support for hard-of-hearing students anywhere else. After my visit, I knew RIT was the right place for me. RIT has prepared me to adapt to many different situations, and I’ve grown thanks to two amazing co-ops. I am now ready to make my mark in the hospitality industry.

My identity of being Deaf truly played a major role in my enrollment at RIT/NTID, as I knew that I would thrive in higher education given the right support system, environment, and community. I also chose RIT/NTID, because of my experience at NTID’s Explore Your Future summer program. I truly felt at home, meeting other people just like me and found many role models who are doing so many different things. At RIT and throughout Rochester, I gained a community that understands me. The support and understanding from professors, peers, and businesses about my needs and accommodations make me feel safe, valued, and accepted. This is the place for me to thrive and grow!

I was confident in identifying RIT as my first-choice college. I was attracted to the sense of community and a culture that accepts everyone for who they are. I was sold on the amazing co-op opportunities; having a place where I could continue to develop my interests in art, coding, and robotics; and the reduced tuition for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. I applied Early Decision, and  I’m so glad I did. Once I got my Early Decision acceptance, I felt a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I enjoyed the rest of my senior year a lot more knowing that I didn’t have to worry about where I’d be going to college. At RIT. I’ve had the opportunity to meet more deaf people than I have in my entire life, and because of the access services I get I can follow and understand what’s being said in the classroom. It’s been such a positive experience.

The Philippines does not have the options that America offers. I started my education in a college called Del La Salle-College of Saint Benilde where there was a small deaf program. I received a scholarship to attend RIT, and since I’ve been in America my life has changed. RIT/NTID has a big deaf friendly community, and the university offers so many resources unlike home. I have my associate degree in design and imaging technology and I am working toward my BFA in visual media in RIT’s College of Art and Design. Aside from education, I got the opportunity to immerse myself into the culture here by joining several clubs and camps: Asian Deaf Club, Student Life Team, Explore Your Future, Tech Boyz/Girlz, and more. RIT/NTID is the right fit for me because it has the major, resources, and community that I need to succeed. I was able to land an internship with Center of Disability Rights because of the resources that RIT/NTID has for me. I plan to bring back what I learned here home to the Philippines and hope to inspire others there to pursue higher education.

I grew up in New York City, Massachusetts and Connecticut, and was mainstreamed. I grew up in an oral deaf community and did not learn American Sign Language until college. I didn’t know deaf colleges existed until an admission counselor from RIT came to my high school and explained the resources that were available. I decided to go to a community college for two years where I graduated, and then felt ready to go to RIT because of its great support system, deaf community, and it had a blend of everything I was already familiar with. I made friends from different backgrounds who were familiar with situations like mine, and they along with RIT in general made me feel like I am capable of doing big things. That confidence led me to join the Latin American Deaf Club, NTID Student Congress, and also the NTID Center on Cognition and Language. RIT is the right fit for me because it feels familiar, gives me the tools to overcome the challenges I face, and gives me the support that I need.

I started off in a mainstream program until the third grade when I then attended the Louisiana School for the Deaf. I first heard about RIT/NTID through their call for student competitors for the NTID Math Competition. When the time came for me to choose a college, I had multiple staff and RIT/NTID alumni tell me about RIT, so I decided to do some research. With that research, I found that RIT/NTID was filled with an assortment of diverse individuals, people from many cultures, a mixture of deaf and hearing, along with interpreting students and interpreters. I wanted to work in the medical field and saw how the MIS program at RIT could bring me there. I’m involved in a number of clubs and organizations on campus such as NTID Student Assembly, Sigma Nu Fraternity, Latin American Deaf Club, Ebony Club, and have been involved in several theater performances – with “Cabaret” being my favorite! RIT/NTID is the right fit for me because of the large spectrum of creative arts, accessibility, cultural diversity, social life, and opportunities for professional growth.

When I was looking at colleges I was searching for a place where I could continue to play competitive women’s hockey, specifically on a Division I team. I really didn’t consider the academic side because I didn’t think colleges differed in how they accommodated hard-of-hearing students. But when I looked at RIT and learned about the access and support services available for hard-of-hearing students like me, I instantly knew I wanted to go to college here. RIT is already set up to accommodate hard-of-hearing and deaf students and I knew I had to go here. Now that I’m a student-athlete here at RIT it’s been a great fit for me because everyone is accepting and respectful, regardless of my hearing loss. I don’t feel like a bystander and I don’t feel out of place. With the guidance and acceptance I get here at RIT, it has shaped me into the person I want to become, and helped me realize I want to be a better person.

Being born and raised in Long Island and attending school in Commack, I never left the island. But when the time came to go to the RIT/NTID Explore Your Future (EYF) summer program, I found my interest in theater and film design. After that program, I got very interested in RIT because they had deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students all in one place. When I first arrived here, I was an undecided major and took a variety of classes in graphic design, photography, production, and film. I then chose a major that included them all, visual media. Not only did I find a major that was a good fit for me, I also found friends in other students here who share the same experiences, including my first hard-of-hearing friend who now is my best friend. It’s so easy to meet people of all communication methods due to the awesome interpreting program and services here on campus. Here at RIT, I found my place in this world. I found out what I enjoy and what I want to be in the future.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a part of a deaf program and mainstreamed in a public school. I never really felt like I fit in, until one day a counselor from RIT/NTID came and changed my life. I was matched with an admissions counselor who also was deaf with a similar background as me and completely understood what I was looking for, so I decided to visit the campus. When I came to visit I fell in love with the strong balance of deaf and hearing students on campus. During my time here, I’ve been involved with Tiger Media as a photographer and director of marketing, an NLC Math tutor, an NTID Student Ambassador, participated in the Saunders Summer Startup program, and now I am working as an intern in RIT's Marketing and Communications Department. I knew RIT/NTID was the perfect fit for me because it is fully accessible with a tremendous support system and a strong Deaf community.

Access services, strong academic rankings, having a criminal justice major, and opportunities to grow my leadership skills to make a difference in the world were important to me when searching for college. But finding a place where I could connect with other people like me was most important because growing up attending a mainstream high school was isolating at times. I knew I could have gone to other colleges and been successful, but RIT had all of the things on my checklist. RIT is awesome. I am successful in my academics, and have flourished as a student leader. I served as president of NTID's Ebony Club, and won multiple awards including NTID's Outstanding Leadership, Dale Carnegie's Future is Bright and M.O.C.H.A. (Men of Character, Honor and Ambition) Fitness Man of the Year. I also was a member of RIT’s wrestling team, and performed in a play presented by NTID’s Performing Arts Theater. Here I found a place to be me, and become the best leader I can be.

I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about the deaf world growing up. So, when I was in high school and struggling with my self-identity, one of my goals was to learn more about my “deaf side.” I decided to attend a community college first because I didn’t know what I wanted to study. That college had a deaf program and I fully immersed myself into the Deaf community. This greatly influenced my decision to continue my education at RIT. RIT is the perfect fit for me to get an outstanding education because it bridges the gap between the deaf and hearing worlds, so I can socially grow in both, and challenges me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things. I have both deaf and hearing friends from other countries and cultures who show me a bigger perspective of the world and life itself.

I went to high school at California School for the Deaf, Fremont and loved it there. I was very involved in high school and wanted those same opportunities in college. When I started my college search, I asked my friends who attend RIT what they had to say about the college. I also did other research because I wanted to find the best university to pursue my major and prepare me for my future. I finally decided to travel across the country and attend RIT because I felt it offered the right resources to help me be successful. Now that I’m here, I like the mainstream environment. I get access to full communication, and learning on a mainstream campus is new and exciting for me. I feel comfortable here just like in high school. I’m involved in different clubs and organizations, and that is helping me develop new skills.