To give a little background, I was one out of ten students throughout Sheboygan County receiving special services due to hearing loss. I was one of the first children in the nation to receive cochlear implants in both ears. At first, I hated being set apart from everyone. I used to get bullied a lot about my cochlear implants or about the fact that my ears didn’t work. Whether it was physical bullying or verbal bullying, it was all the same to me. I had let those individuals make me believe that because I was different, I didn’t matter nor belong. Fast forward a couple years, I started giving speeches to my classmates at the beginning of every school year about cochlear implants themselves and what being deaf was like. Miraculously the bullying stopped because they finally had an understanding on some level of what I have experienced throughout my life. Those speeches were the beginning of me advocating for myself and my needs as a deaf individual. Now I feel confident being a deaf person in a hearing world. I like being different from everyone and it makes me unique.  I secretly think it’s my superpower, I can literally turn the world off if I wanted to, whenever I wanted to. Being deaf gives me the opportunity to connect with other deaf or hard of hearing individuals as well as hearing individuals. I do have the privilege of living the “best of both worlds” with my implants. Due to that privilege, I can teach others by providing a bigger and better understanding of deaf people and deaf culture. It makes me feel good when people question or recognize that I am deaf. I think deafness should be celebrated because we often are not able to have the same opportunities as hearing individuals would. Being acknowledged, recognized, and celebrated is such a rewarding feeling to know that despite our differences, we can come together and still be unique individuals.