September 2022 - Johnson Scholarship Foundation

Johnson Scholarship Foundation provides support for Gallaudet University’s summer internship programs that enable students to study abroad. Nthabeleng MacDonald, an undergraduate at Gallaudet, wrote the following account of her summer with the Doctors in Italy Fellowship program for JSF’s Giving Matters blog.

In May 2022, I went to Rome, Italy, for my shadowing fellowship with the Doctors in Italy Fellowship Program for two weeks. The Doctors in Italy Fellowship Program is a medical shadowing program for students interested in pursuing a career in medicine or on a path to becoming a medical doctor. The program enables students to learn about healthcare and the typical day in the life of medical professionals by shadowing English-speaking physicians across a variety of specialties, including surgery, medicine, orthopedics, cardiology, oncology pediatrics, emergency medicine, and beyond.

The shadowing aspect of the program was an incredible experience for me. It was an eye-opening experience. I believe that I was the first deaf fellow to participate in this international program. Before coming to Italy, I had a fixed mindset that I would face many communication barriers as a Deaf fellow in the program. I was prepared for that. I expected that the Italian doctors wouldn’t want to interact with me or believe in me because I am Deaf. I was also prepared for that. I decided to come to Italy anyway. It turned out that I was wrong. The doctors there were 100% supportive and believed in me. I had the opportunity to observe and talk with so many doctors about their specialties. They walked me through every surgical procedure and patient case to make sure I understood everything that was happening in the operating room/exam room. I have so much respect for the doctors there, and I felt respected in return during my time there. My interpreters were top-notch. They worked very hard to make sure I understood everything. They even did their medical research to make sure the medical interpretation was accurate. I couldn’t have done this without them and Gallaudet University.

I was really surprised to see the way I carried myself so well and became fearless and confident in my passion for medicine throughout the program. I shadowed a variety of specialties, including vascular surgery, orthopedic surgery, general surgery, anesthesiology, ENT, biomedical engineering, etc. The patients I saw, the doctor-patient relationships, and what doctors do are some of the reasons why I want to become a doctor. I learned a lot in just two weeks!

There are not many deaf doctors in the world right now, and I want to fill that gap on top of the several important reasons for wanting to become a doctor myself. As of right now, I want to become a neuropsychiatrist, specializing in child and adolescent neurology and psychiatry.

Besides being a fellow in the program, I had the opportunity to roam around Rome in the afternoons. I ate great Italian food and tried their famous gelato! I also got to go on an excursion with the other fellows and visited the beautiful Tivoli, an hour away from Rome.

I am very excited to see where medicine takes me next as I continue my journey to becoming a doctor. I am now in my final year of undergrad. After graduation I plan to take a gap year before attending medical school. During my gap year, I hope to work as a post-baccalaureate fellow in a program within my desired fields. This is only the beginning.

Gallaudet students should travel and live abroad because it will give them a broader perspective on the world and help them step out of their comfort zone. Immerse yourself in a new culture and always keep an open mind. You never know what you will learn about yourself, your surroundings, and your passion(s) abroad! Thank you Doctors in Italy and Gallaudet University for this wonderful opportunity I will never forget!

Nthabeleng MacDonald is an undergraduate at Gallaudet University.

The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) welcomed another 40 teens with hearing loss to its 26th annual Leadership Opportunities for Teens (LOFT) program this summer. Youth Program Counselors all graduated from the LOFT program and pay it forward by guiding the experience for the teens who follow them.

AG Bell was gratified to renew its in-person LOFT program which had been offered virtually for two years. Forty teens traveled to Washington D.C. to the campus of Georgetown University, just two blocks from AG Bell’s headquarters at the historic Volta Bureau. Youth programs are vital to helping teens discover they are not alone in their challenges, as many teens report never having met another person with hearing loss before participating in LOFT. Through this program, they discover “someone just like me” who understands their hearing loss and can share experiences and successes that help build support and self-confidence.

Teens participated in various activities that promote team building, leadership, and self-advocacy including an improv session led by DC Improv. Teens connected with speakers including I. King Jordan, Disability Programs Consultant for the Johnson Scholarship Foundation, and John Stanton, AG Bell Board Member and a U.S. attorney with the Department of Justice who helped facilitate the admission of a group of deaf and hard of hearing attorneys into the Supreme Court of the United States. Teens spent time at the Volta Bureau, constructed by Alexander Graham Bell in 1893, and had the opportunity to see national monuments and visit the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Activities like these add to the teens’ shared experiences and challenge them to navigate and advocate in small groups.

Through anonymous post-surveys, teens who attended LOFT provided testimonials of their experiences in the program. Here are a few of their testimonials:

“The most significant thing I learned from LOFT is what it really means to have a true community to share knowledge and wisdom and topics outside of our hearing loss and to feel seen with other people with hearing loss.”

“I’ve learned that there are many different ways to be a leader. Advocating for myself leads to many different opportunities.”

“LOFT was the most empowering program I’ve been a part of, especially in relation to my hearing loss. Meeting others like me obviously made me feel less isolated, but it also made me more confident. I’m lucky I’m still in touch with the people from my LOFT session since we’re able to talk to each other about struggles most other people wouldn’t understand. I am eternally grateful to have been offered a spot in this program.”

LOFT programming would not be possible without the generosity of the Johnson Scholarship Foundation and other sponsors. For more information and to apply to attend LOFT, please visit AGBellLOFT.com or email LOFT@agbell.org.

Farrah Matlock is Youth Programs Coordinator at AG Bell.

Interpreting Medicine: Deaf Student Shadows Doctors in Italy

Teens With Hearing Loss Come Together for Leadership Opportunities