Defying the odds

Lauren Schlitt, a senior at Oceanside High School, was born profoundly deaf. Her parents were told she would never be able to hear, or have a normal life. But Lauren has defied those odds; with the help of a cochlear implant and early schooling, she has excelled both academically and athletically. She is an honor roll student who maintains a B average in school, and she is on the varsity basketball, lacrosse, and cross-country teams. She

was also recently accepted to Kutztown University, a Division II lacrosse school in Pennsylvania.

“She's had the will and the determination,” said Tara Tynan, teacher of the deaf and hearing impaired in the Oceanside School District. Tynan has been working with Lauren for twelve years, and attributes much of Lauren's success to her parents, who were proactive in finding her the resources she needed. Lauren has had a cochlear implant since she was two, and was also enrolled in an intensive program for the hearing impaired at Nassau BOCES through Pre-Kindergarten. The electronic implant, surgically attached behind the ear, works by stimulating the auditory nerve to give the user a sense of sound. Lauren's early learning program exposed her to language and helped her to develop her sense of hearing from the time she was very young.

“I've seen her really flourish,” Tynan said. In class each day, Tynan works with Lauren other students with hearing impairments to review lessons, work on writing, and create a supportive environment where the students can counsel each other as peers. She said Lauren has stood out as a role model in that regard, offering advice and mentorship to other students.