I was born deaf in my left ear and when I was 18, I lost half of my hearing in my right ear. With hearing loss, staying on track in a conversation or situation can often feel impossible. You're constantly asking people to repeat themselves and using all of your energy to figure out what was said only to discover that you have already missed something else. It’s an exhausting struggle that few people have patience for and it’s so tempting to give up and exclude yourself from the situation, but I have learned that you should not let your battles define who you are. For as long as I can remember, I have loved to write and tell stories. When I was 12-years-old, I won a short story contest for my hometown’s local newspaper, the Times Gazette, which led to an interview with the editor. Walking inside the newsroom, I was amazed by the energy and enthusiasm of everyone working. As the editor interviewed me for a story, I thought, “I can do this,” and I left the Times Gazette that day knowing I wanted to be a journalist.Receiving my first journalistic experiences in high school, I was an editor for my high school’s yearbook staff and I wrote my first newspaper published article when I was 16. Since starting college, I have written 52 articles for UTC’s school newspaper, The University Echo, and 10 articles for UTC’s news blog while receiving Dean’s List recognition every semester.Since January 2022, I have gone from staff writer for The University Echo to Assistant Features Editor to now being the Features Editor. I hosted my own talk show for UTC’s student radio station The Perch from November 2021 to May 2022 where I produced 17 shows on psychology related topics, and I am currently the co-host for UTC’s Psychology Department Podcast. I am the Editor in Chief of UTC’s Rising Rock class where we document Chattanooga through video, audio, photos and writing before publishing them to our own website. In April 2023, I founded a National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Student Chapter at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), which I lead as the president. As I build my skill set from writing and photography to audio and video, I am laying down the groundwork for my future. Living with hearing loss, it is easy to get lost in the pieces you miss. Growing up with a love for telling and listening to stories and an understanding of what it’s like to feel invisible, I discovered that if I can give others the chance to be heard then I will be happy with the legacy I have created for myself.