Life can throw unexpected surprises, at any age. Masters graduate Hayden
Shock was born deaf and battled serious health problems in his teens. Did it
disrupt his learning path? Not for a second. He tells how, with positivity and
grit, he has overcome the challenges.
Hayden
Shock
I attended Gallaudet University as an
undergrad, the only university in the
US for deaf and hard of hearing stu-
dents. Everyone there knew sign lan-
guage. I never had one single com-
munication issue at Gallaudet. There,
I received the world’s most adorable
hearing dog—her name is Remy. We
had so much fun in my senior year,
she really knows how to party!
A few months before I graduated
from Gallaudet, I faced a huge,
life-changing, kidney failure. I knew
I was sick and needed a kidney trans-
plant but I wanted to continue my
education so badly. I applied to Hult
in the summer of 2016, but I deferred
and took a year off to focus on my
health. On June 20, 2017, I was blessed
to have a kidney transplant. My do-
nor gave me a second chance at life.
My recovery time was very fast and
literally two months post-transplant,
I moved to Boston to start at Hult.
So many cultures in one build-
ing—it was an unforgettable experi-
ence. I joined the HSA as co-CMO
and started the American Sign
Language Club, as a lot of students
were interested in learning sign lan-
guage. It was like exchanging our
cultures and experiences. It was such
a beautiful thing to do.
Honestly, it wasn’t that hard to
interact with Hult students; they
welcomed me immediately. I never
once felt fear. It could be frustrating
because group projects took up a lot
of time and interpreters often had to
leave. I would be all on my own
500k 10% ASL
North Americans use
American Sign Language (ASL)
as their natural language. of all Americans
have some degree of
hearing loss. is a complete and complex
language with its own grammar,
syntax, and regional variations.
Learn ASL on the go
Communications Manager
Masters in International Marketing
Class of 2018
Burke, US
@haydenshock
64
“I was born with Goldenhar syndrome. It caused my deafness, and I am miss-
ing one ear. In every other way, I was a healthy baby. Being a deaf kid at
school, it was very hard to integrate with the hearing students. I was always
a few minutes behind because it took time for my American Sign Language
interpreters to translate everything. Eventually, I learned how to commu-
nicate with hearing people through texting via phone or paper and pen.
Ways of Learning
with my group. Thankfully, they
were very flexible with everything
by communicating with me through
WhatsApp, text, and email to keep
me in the loop.
It was a new experience for Hult’s
professors too; at the beginning they
would accidentally walk in front of
my interpreters! But they got used to
it. I was never treated any differently.
I was always involved in class discus-
sions. I never felt left out.
Two months after graduation, I
was proud to be employed by one of
the nation’s largest non-profit organ-
izations, the Military Order of the
Purple Heart, as a Chief of Staff and
Communications Director.
Keep living your life. Don’t quit.
Never give up.”
Emerging tech solutions
The ASL App Video relay services
All of the basics needed to master
conversational ASL 24/7, on-demand interpreters connect
deaf callers with phone services
Hands On ASL Live subtitling
An interactive approach to fingerspelling
using 3D models for accuracy Apps like Ava and Microsoft’s Translator service aim
to document conversation to text in real time
YouTube Hand tracking
Search “learn ASL”
to find a world of free resources
and challenges Haptic gloves can capture the movements
of ASL, but miss the tonality and emotion
portrayed by face and body
Ways of Learning
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