Getting held back in first grade. A hearing loss diagnosis. These experiences, while difficult at the time, led two UNC Greensboro students to their career goals and the School of Education.
Now in its 50th year, UNCG’s Deaf education program has seen remarkable students thrive and carry on a mission of service to others. Its current students continue that mission, whether they major in it or take up American Sign Language (ASL) as a minor.
Katelyn Cruthirds and Skylar Sumrell talked about their own early experiences and how those led them to UNCG.
If I had gotten the help I needed from the start, I wouldn’t have needed to be held back. Because of this, I decided I wanted to help other kids who struggle with learning to read before it’s too late.
Katelyn Cruthirds, Elementary Education Major
Like many children today, Cruthirds fell behind her expected reading level. She says that second year in first grade was beneficial, but it also showed her the things she would change if she was the teacher. She pursues that dream now as an early education major with a minor in American Sign Language.
On my first day, I walked into that classroom and immediately felt an overwhelming sense of belonging. I wasn’t ‘different’ anymore, I was just me. Here, I fell in love with the joy of a Deaf child’s laugh. It was the purest and most unfiltered expression of emotion I had ever experienced.
Skylar Sumrell, Deaf education major
Sumrell began learning ASL after being diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss. She unlocked a love of working with students during a high school internship. Now in her senior year, she shares her advice to incoming students that helped her since her enrollment to UNCG as a Spartan Education Scholar.
