Gowned, Crowned & Vegas-bound!

An enormous THANK YOU to everyone who has helped make my journey as Miss Deaf USA to the Miss Deaf International pageant a possibility, especially the following who have either made a contribution, attended my fundraiser or has helped me in another form.  I could not have done this without you guys:

Mich Gerson, Leah Murphy, Gabrielle Nocciolino, Matt Shand, Adam O’Connor, Jonathan Furman, Mark Montalette, Casey and Sonia Davis, Stephanie Van Dyken, Tom Frederick, Marie-Claire Gwayi-Chore, Brian Bonner, Alison Kittenplan, Norma Moran, Lori Dull, Susan Swanson, Natalie Collins, Alan and Vicki Hurwitz, Elaine Auld, Kathy Schelfeffer, Andy Feeny, Piyush Aggarwala, Lizzie Sorkin, Rachel Rose, Jesse Maleh, Smitha Hanumantha, Lisa Herbert, Jeremy Gelb, Dan Hamilton, Angie Cheng, Erin Land, Tyese Wright, Sacha Klein, Jerrel Mathern, Kevin Bohlin, Todd McGlone, Chris Bahl, Jonathan Kovacs, Nicole Marchesano, Sasha Ponappa, Taye Akinola, Leah Katz-Hernandez, Justin Jackerson, Blair Rasmus, Minna Saari, Julia Velasquez, Leah Geer, Vanessa Arp and my family: Rod, Dawn, Marcus and Danielle Koplitz.

I cannot believe the International pageant is finally happening… the past few months have been crazy but the pageant always seemed so far away but hey-now its Saturday, July 17th and I’m here at Bally’s in Vegas with 29 other gorgeous deaf women from around the globe!

I would not be here though without the generous and unbelievable support from family, roommates, former coworkers, neighbors and friends. Especially my closest friends who have shown me how to be a true friend through their unreal love, support and understanding throughout this entire experience.  These friends I met at a place I have been fortunate to call ‘home’ for about 5 years- NTID/RIT, the Rochester Institute of Technology. This home has not only been a source of education and community but also source of continued support since I graduated in that black and orange gown.

Several of these friends are my players on the all-star Team MDU (Miss Deaf USA)!  These ladies are: Leah Murphy, Gabrielle Nocciolino and Mich Gerson!

Leah Murphy (class of 2005) was my Chaperone for the Miss Deaf USA pageant and one of the first friends to convince me to run for the MDU pageant.  I asked her to be my Chaperone for this pageant because she understands me and because of this she was able to help me in so many different ways such as- in picking out a dress, putting on makeup, preparing for my interviews, and most importantly in reminding me to relax and enjoy the experience!

Gabrielle Nocciolino (class of 2009, 2011) is my Chaperone for the current  Miss Deaf International pageant.  Gabi is one of the most sincere, genuine supporters anyone could ask for.  When I asked her if she wanted to be my Chaperone for the MDI pageant she confirmed without missing a beat and she came to Vegas UBER prepared with an arsenal of makeup, bobbypins, and a suitcase of dresses!  I feel so fortunate to have her with me here, she’s been incredible- always a step ahead of me and yet also is so supportive of all the other girls and pageant staff.  I cannot thank you enough, Gabi, for coming to Vegas to share this unreal week with me.

Mich Gerson (class of 2008), a woman like no other, is my Sponsorship Coordinator.  We met at RIT our freshman year but did not become the close friends we are today until our senior year, when I realized that I am truly lucky to call this witty, creative and fearless woman my friend. Thank you Mich, for being there for me like no other.

These women are the epitome of class and they never cease to amaze me in how intelligent, supportive and considerate they are.  I would not have been able to do these pageants without their time and selfless help, so Leah, Gabi, and Mich– THANK YOU so very much for the time, dedication and commitment you’ve given to me to help me get to the MDI pageant.

I have so many people to thank for their support but I  especially need to thank RIT/NTID – my official TOP SPONSOR for making my attendance at the Miss Deaf International pageant a reality.  I am so grateful and thankful to the people at NTID, especially Jim DeCaro, Matthew Driscoll and Mich Gerson, for their generous support.

I’ve been a member of the NTID Alumni Association which has been incredible in keeping me connected, informed and up-to-date on news at NTID and the RIT deaf community. For those of you reading this that are NTID/RIT alumni, be sure to sign up for the RIT/NTID Alumni Network if you haven’t already done so!

Mich Gerson and I at the RIT/NTID Booth at the World Deaf Expo!

Many, many thanks to all of the other people who have written, emailed, and donated money to support me in attending the Miss Deaf International pageant as Miss Deaf USA.  I am looking forward to the pageant and I am honored to be able to represent NTID/RIT and the USA!

I graduated with my Masters in Health Sciences degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) on Wedndesday, May 26th in Baltimore, MD!

My family and I started the day by attending my department (Health, Behavior and Society) brunch with department faculty, staff, graduates and family members at the Mt. Washington Conference Center.  After a great meal and a bit of catching up with my classmates we made our way over to The Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall for convocation where over 300 students in my graduating class received their masters and doctorates degree.

The ceremony was beautiful, long, but filled with touching moments as I was able to watch classmates, friends, and those hard-core doctorate students walk across the stage to receive their degrees.  Cami Oeulette, a deaf friend of mine who attended RIT with me, also graduated with her masters that afternoon!  Cami will be attending U Pitt this fall as a doctorate student- Congrats to you, Cami for all your work!!

My family took some pictures (to be posted soon!) and we headed to Fells Point for seafood on the harbor.  Mmm.

Baltimore is a pretty eclectic place, after getting past nightly news crime reports I’ve really come to appreciate what it has to offer- JHSPH and the medical campus, Homewood campus’ rock climbing wall, Halloween in Fells Point, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Hampden, One World Cafe, Brewers Art, and all the people I’ve met during my time there.  I’ve a soft spot for Baltimore- there’s something quite charming about Charm City.

I’ve got a new website!  Thanks to two wonderful women who I know from RIT: Stephanie Van Dyken and Erin Bowman, web and newmedia designers.

Web design by: Steph

I met Stephanie my freshman year through some mutual friends- an awesome group of deaf girls who started the DOVES.  I didn’t know she was also a self-taught web designer and Mich Gerson told me to check out Stephanie’s blog : www.luxechandelier.com to see if I liked her style and once I did, I knew I found my designer!  Her style is simple, chic and she’s also a fellow lover of damask.  I asked her if she was interested in designing my website and told her what I was looking for with my Miss Deaf USA-theme.  Steph agreed to design my site and jumped right in and got to work, she knew what I was looking for and gave it to me. Thank you, Steph for such a great website and for being so easy to work with!  If you’d like her design a website for you, contact her via:

Logo design by: Erin

Erin Bowman was a fellow lifeguard, roommate and friend of mine during my last few years at RIT.  When living with her, I loved peeking into her room to check out the awesome design work she was always working on.   When I was thinking about having a logo designed for my site, she was the first person I thought of to ask.  Her work is clean and fresh, and I knew I’d love whatever she made for me.  Erin was able to pull together two concepts I wanted to integrate (a crown and a lotus flower) into an awesome logo- and she did just that!  Thank you, Erin, for taking the time from your hectic week to make this for me.  To check out more of her great work and her blog, visit her site at www.heyerin.com:

Many thanks to the both of you!

Today I went back to the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) office, where I conducted a 6-month field placement last year,  to turn in my final paper.

I met with my supervisor, Carmen J. Head, the Director of School Health Programs, who was an incredible supervisor and mentor throughout the internship.  She helped me start and organize my final paper and continues to be a source of support and guidance to me in the field of health education.  Thank you, Carmen, for everything!

This is our “SOPHE family” picture of the girls who worked there last summer: me, Sarah, Rachael, Laura and Carmen.  This was at Rachael’s farewell party, she’s now working on her DrPH at the University of Illinois at Chicago– go Rachael!