Overcoming Obstacles: Meet Zandy

Overcoming Obstacles

HOW does Zandy hear? With a magnifying glass in one hand, a TEDx mic in the other, and one BAHA!

All About Me

Hi, my name is Zandy (short for Alexandra), and I am a junior studying public health at Johns Hopkins University. I'm originally from Alexandra, Virginia. I love doing experiments in the lab, composing piano music, visiting Baltimore bakeries, and watching figure skating.

Hearing My Way

I was born with severe hearing loss in my left ear from oval window atresia, which means one of the bones in the middle ear (the oval window) is deformed. At 4-yearsold, I began wearing a hearing aid, and when I was 12-years-old, I had surgery for a B Attract implant. With my Cochlear BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid), I have full access to sound. I attended mainstream school since kindergarten and received speech therapy for many years.

Zandy has a lot to smile about!

School Cool

Starting college in a pandemic and virtual environment wasn’t easy. I quickly realized I would need more accommodations, such as CART captioning and clear masks, to ensure I could fully participate. To advocate for myself, it took a lot of emails, communication with my professors and disability services, and explaining my needs in order to get the services I needed. Now that campus is fully open, I enjoy being a campus tour guide and serving the Baltimore community as a member of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity.

STEAM Team

I’m really proud to be a girl in the science field. One of my current lab projects is playing really loud rock concerts in mice’s ears (mice-sized headphones not included) and seeing if their hearing can bounce back after extreme noise exposure. My other neuroscience project is creating algorithms that can predict the level of hearing loss in these mice from tracking their brain activity at different pitches.

Overcoming Obstacles

Growing up with hearing loss was an isolating experience at times. I didn’t know many other kids like me. It also wasn’t obvious that I had hearing loss, so there were many times people were unaware and said hurtful statements or excluded me without realizing I had hearing loss. I couldn’t hear well enough and didn’t yet have the words or advocacy skills to stand up for myself and be included in group conversations. College really changed things for me, and I’ve come such a long way.

Zandy started her college journey during the pandemic.

Ear Gear

One of my favorite hearing loss-related products is the Otter Ai app for transcription services. I also use vibration alarms to help make sure I wake up on time, although sometimes I have to use quite a few to get me up! Having singlesided deafness does have its benefits, like only having to use one headphone and being able to sleep on my right ear if I don’t want to hear my twin sister snoring. I also think having hearing loss has made me a more empathetic person and a great listener, because I know what it’s like to not be heard.

That's Just the Way I Hear

Hearing loss doesn’t define me. I don’t pretend that my hearing loss hasn’t given me challenges, because of course it has. Instead, I try to recognize how much learning to live with hearing loss has helped me grow into being a better friend, advocate, and scientist. I hope my hearing loss is recognized as a part of my narrative that has shaped every action I take.

Zandy presents a TedX talk.

Inspiration Station

I have many mentors who have inspired me. My mentor and former tennis coach/ audiologist, Dr. Sheila Moore-Neff, was one of the first people who taught me how to advocate for myself and find confidence to ‘own’ my hearing loss. She introduced me to Hearing Our Way magazine one of the very first times we met! My research mentor, Dr. Tilak Ratnanather, a Deaf Biomedical Engineering professor at Hopkins, was the first scientist I met who had hearing loss. He showed me that I didn’t just have a place in science, but that my hearing loss could be an asset to my research. Dr. Aliza Watters, Mrs. Tessa McKenzie, and of course my friends and family who are always cheering me on, also inspire me every step of the way.

Proud Accomplishments

I am really proud of what I have accomplished at such a young age. I’ve shared my story of growing up with hearing loss on the TEDx stage, podcasts, and more. I’ve interned on Capitol Hill (Congress) and spoke at the U.S. Department of Labor about engaging disabled youth. I recently was awarded the Heumann-Armstrong Award, which recognized my work advocating for accessibility in education. I’m excited to see what comes next for me!

Zandy speaks at the U.S. Department of Labor during her summer internship.

#Goals

My goal is to continue working at the intersection of policy and science to help create a world where accessibility is universal. I’m not quite sure if my path will be towards becoming a doctor, a lawyer, or a neuroscience/public health researcher, but I am excited to find out. Hearing loss only enhances the work I do because I can use my personal experiences to inform the research and advocacy efforts I devote myself to.

Do you want to be on our next cover and share your story of overcoming obstacles? Email your story to info@hearingourway.com!