sjsprWriting

Growing up I thought my dad was selectively deaf: he could hear the football game but not my mom calling him to dinner or me excitedly trying to show him the awesome bug I found. But when I was about ten I found out that it is not just that my dad is a football fanatic, he is actually deaf in one ear. Since then, I've wondered why he does not wear a hearing aid. He said that current devices were clunky and noticeable, and that he did not want to be discriminated against for his hearing impediment. To this day, he still does not wear one. Living in Puerto Rico, I have seen first hand how many people are completely without access to technologies that could transform their lives. I hope to innovate and optimize these technologies so as to provide solutions that are affordable for everyone, including dad.