By Hector Flores
Among the recipients was 17-year-old Brooke Suskin, a senior at East Meadow High School.
Suskin was recognized for her many achievements, which include being ranked 47th in a class of 409, producing excellent work in her college prep and Advanced Placement classes, and being the captain of the varsity tennis team as well as a member of the Key Club, the National Honor Society and the marching band. She is also a mentor to deaf children, and volunteers at the Nassau University Medical Center.
But perhaps Suskin¹s greatest achievement was overcoming her own hearing disability.
Victor DeLisio, her guidance counselor, nominated Suskin for the award. ³Brooke has not let her hearing loss hold her back from doing anything she wishes to involve herself in,² DeLisio said. ³On the contrary, she is popular and enjoys a strong social life and is an excellent example for others.²
Suskin found out about the award only three weeks ago, and was excited to be honored. ³I was really surprised and honored that [DeLisio] would nominate me, and I¹m grateful that I won it,² she said.
Suskin, who was born deaf, credited her academic success and overall achievement to the encouragement she receives at home. ³It¹s my family,² she said. ³They push me to do hard work, and it¹s because of them I am where I am. They have always supported me. When I was six months old, they made sure that I had everything I needed.²
Suskin recalled that her parents¹ support came in handy when she was a third-grade student at Barnum Woods Elementary in 1998. That was the year she began feeling the pressures of being different. She was having difficulty understanding her teacher with hearing aids. Seeing her frustration, her parents, Joy and Dave Suskin, encouraged her to get cochlear implants.
³I decided to get the implants, and they have done so much for me,² Brooke said. ³They allow me to hear more than ever and they allow me to talk on the phone.²
With the help of the implants, Suskin said, she was able to blossom in school, be more friendly and make new friends. ³I was able to participate in conversations with my peers,² she said.
Joy explained that she never wanted her daughter to think of herself as a person with a disability. ³We always encouraged her to do everything, and never treated her like she had a disability,² Joy said. ³We treated her as a person with ability.²
Dave added that the cochlear implants gave his daughter more confidence and allowed her to showcase her talents. ³She attracts people and has many friends,² he said. ³Her personality and hard work and dedication have made people look up to her. Some people aren¹t aware that she has a disability, and they aspire to be like that.²
Joy explained that the secret to her daughter¹s success and achievement has been her hard work. ³She has learned that with hard work, anything is possible,² she said.
Terry Donaldson, who teaches hearing-impaired students in the East Meadow School District and has known Suskin for the past 15 years, described her as ³amazing.² ³She is a true success story of a child who has overcome significant obstacles in her life, and is now very accomplished,² Donaldson said.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283
