NCCC Success Story

Where is your hometown?
My hometown is Bowie, Maryland right outside of DC.

What was your degree program and graduation date at RIT/NTID?
I received an Associate in Applied Science studying Applied Computer Technology. I graduated on May 13, 2023.

What is your preferred language of use: ASL, Spoken English, Both or another language?
My preferred language is spoken English.

What was your high school experience like? Were you mainstreamed, the only deaf person in the class, or were you enrolled with deaf classmates?
In high school, I was in mainstream classrooms with a few other deaf students. Therefore it was easy to integrate and function in the RIT/NTID where the deaf community and regular hearing people interact and exist in the same environment. There was a significant amount of DHOH programs available at my High School with many resources made available to students who were deaf or hard of hearing. I also played on the school’s baseball team with all hearing students.

What was your college search process like, and what reasons made you choose RIT/NTID?
My college search was pretty straightforward because RIT was one of the few schools with the programs I was searching for, with a focus on the field of computer science. RIT/NTID representatives also visited my school and provided a lot of information that made the choice easy for me.

Did your identity as a deaf/hard-of-hearing person have an impact on your college choice?
Being a deaf person didn’t have much impact when it came to picking schools probably because I didn’t grow up in a deaf community.

What makes RIT a good fit for you?
RIT is a good fit for me because it provides resources and accommodations for the DHOH that I was able to take advantage of.

Are there any unique benefits gained at RIT/NTID that you could not find elsewhere?
RIT/NTID allowed me to interact with students and people from very different walks of life, for instance, people with different cultures, people in the deaf community, and even opportunities to meet people outside of Rochester, NY. I made life-long connections which mean a lot to me.

What are your peers like at RIT/NTID? Do you have a mix of hearing/deaf friends?
It was natural and easy for me to interact with hearing friends since I wasn’t raised in a deaf community. But my very first friend I met in the NTID was deaf and could communicate with ASL and oral English, and became one of my best friends. I then became social with groups that consisted of hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing people. He was my first friend because I didn’t understand ASL at the time therefore, I followed him around using him as an interpreter during the summer vestibule program where most people used ASL. I’ve taken ASL classes but didn’t learn it until I applied it by interacting with people who use ASL and give me feedback.

Are you involved with any extracurricular activities on campus?
For a couple of years, I played in the Deaf Basketball Association (DBA) and enjoyed going to some events that Unity House hosted.

What is your career goal?
I would like to work with the federal government and eventually own a business one day.

How has your experience at RIT/NTID prepared you for your career?
I gained knowledge, confidence, and experience that I can take to the outside world in various industries. Computer technology is a highly demanded area so I have a good foundation from RIT/NTID to do well in my career and in life.

If possible, what one word would you use to describe RIT/NTID?
Unique

If applicable, what was your co-op employer name and location?
My co-op took place in the NTID's Information & Computing Studies (ICS) department and my co-op employer’s name was David Johnston.

If applicable, what was your position at your co-op and what were the role’s responsibilities?
My job title was ICS Co-op Support Technician and different tasks consisted of but were not limited to:

• Maintain PCs in all the ICS labs
• Provide and track all pieces of equipment used in the ICS equipment room
• Assist in preparing, setting, and supporting the networking and PC hardware labs
• Answer requests in a ticket system used by staff and faculties

If applicable, how did your co-op relate to your studies at RIT/NTID?
A lot of the skills and knowledge I’ve gained in my studies were connected to my co-op in many ways such as recognizing different hardware and tools that I’ve interacted with but also inventoried.