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 In
the Spotlight
Alesia Howard
by Karen E. Black
You know instantly when you meet Alesia Howard that you want to be on
her team. With endless energy and a gorgeous smile always visible, she
lights up every room she enters.
Graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY, Alesia
decided she will continue right away to pursue a Ph.D., after learning
she was accepted into a program that only takes a few students each
year. The Columbus, Ohio native was born very hard of hearing, and is
the first child in her family to graduate from college. Originally she
pursued a biology major, but then changed to psychology.
“I love science as much as I love being around people, so I thought
psychology would be a better match for me because it combines both,”
she explains. “I hope to do counseling, and some research about
minority groups, as well as some teaching down the road.”
Being hard of hearing, though, she says was one of her biggest
challenges throughout her college years. “I'm not 100% in either deaf
or hearing worlds, and feeling the need to code switch has been a
challenge,” she notes. “Like most deaf or hard of hearing people, I
have felt left out in family gatherings or in school growing up. It's
hard when you're in a group of people and the interaction is so quick,
you can't follow it.”
Alesia, 23, has learned a lot about herself since she's been at RIT.
“I was often the only hard of hearing person in a predominantly white,
hearing setting,” she explains. “[I] found myself bringing up cultural
issues that others weren't aware of that related to deaf and
hard of hearing issues. And when talking about the black experience and
slavery, a lot of people didn't know slavery existed in the north, as
well as the south.”
Sometimes, even in the 21st century, Alesia finds herself paving the
way as the first deaf or hard of hearing black person to be doing
certain things. “Just because of how far I've come, I am still a
culture shock to a lot of people in that a hard of hearing black girl
was able to manage to get this far and graduate college and pursue her
graduate studies,” she says.
While carrying a 3.3 grade point average, Alesia found time to be very
active in college. She's performed in theater productions at RIT's
National Technical Institute for the Deaf, was a member of the Gospel
Ensemble, worked as a resident advisor, and worked on different
committees that fostered a sense of community and promoted cultural
diversity. But her favorite extra-curricular activity was being a
member of Ebony Club, which she served as President for one year. “I
was really able to grow personally and professionally because of Ebony
Club,” she says. “I got to meet some successful, black leaders, many
who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.”
When the going got tough, she relied on God and her support system of
family, mentors and her RIT professors for guidance. “The one thing I
remember is Philippians 4:13… ‘I can do all things through Christ, who
strengthens me.’” she says. “I live by that every day. And a phone call
to my mom always helps!” she adds. “My mom is my role model. She's
Supermom. She has shown me by example that she can do it all. She went
back to get her master's in special education while working a full time
job and taking care of the family…she's amazing.”
Her advice to others? “There is so much support out there these days,
that there is no excuse you cannot do it,” Alesia affirms. “Yes, it's
hard. But you can do it, and never give up.”
Michael E Graziano
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