A Place to Succeed
Meet a few of the students, alumni, faculty and staff who have found success at RIT/NTID.
Shannon Bean
This biotechnology major and avid basketball player hopes to use her RIT education to help people who have diabetes, which she was diagnosed with at age four.
Read Shannon's Story
Jason Gallant
The many build-it and fix-it projects Jason worked on growing up had him convinced from a young age that engineering was the path for him.
Read Jason's Story
Christie Ong
Christie, the first deaf student to major in RIT's advertising and public relations program, has won numerous awards for her scholarship and campus involvement.
Read Christie's Story
Daron Ladson
ASLIE major Daron Ladson says that interpreting for the deaf is a rewarding and humbling experience that has made him a better listener.
Read Daron's Story
Ebony Williams
A talented graphic designer, Ebony plans to pursue an RIT bachelor's degree in New Media Design after she completes her AAS degree.
Read Ebony's Story
Michael Walsh
This lifelong model train enthusiast applies his passion for "figuring out how things work" to his studies as a Manufacturing Engineering Technology major.
Read Michael's Story
Vincent Rehkopf
Vincent is majoring in Environmental Sciences, and looks forward to a career in research or in teaching people how to improve the environment.
Read Vincent's Story
May May "Summer" Pan
This Graphic Media Marketing major's passion for fashion and graphics expertise led her to a summer co-op at Bloomingdale's in New York City.
Read Summer's Story
Latonya Moore
Even though she would be the first in her family to attend college, Latonya's experience at EYF convinced her to continue her education at RIT.
Read Latonya's Story
Grace Kennedy
Accepting the Overcoming Challenges Award from the American Chemical Society, this successful LST major moved an audience of more than 300 to tears with her story of perseverance.
Read Grace's Story
Ricardo Harris
The graphic design skills Ricardo has learned at RIT/NTID were put to good use recently during his co-op as a Lithographic Specialist at the National Aeronautical Charting Office in Washington, D.C.
Read Ricardo's Story
Scott Hansen
An accomplished golfer who was part of the six-man team that led the USA to victory in the 2006 Deaf World Golf Tournament, Scott has also found success in his other passions: cyber security and systems administration.
Read Scott's Story
Jasmine Oregel
Moving all the way from California to Rochester was a difficult decision for Jasmine, but her academic success and campus involvement have made it worth the trip.
Read Jasmine's Story
Eric MacDawutey
Born in Ghana and stricken with spinal meningitis at age 6 that left him profoundly deaf, Eric hopes his success at RIT/NTID will serve as an example to other deaf Ghananians.
Read Eric's Story
Ryan Harter
Growing up, Ryan loved three things: building things, drawing, and working with computers. His search for a major that combined them all led him to RIT/NTID's Computer Aided Drafting Technology program.
Read Ryan's Story
Sarah Exley
Sarah, who dreams of following in her great-grandfather's footsteps as an Olympic rower, recently won a gold medal along with her RIT Varsity teammates at the NY State Collegiate Rowing Championships.
Read Sarah's Story
Carolyn Tully
The tragic events of September 11, 2001 led Carolyn Tully to re-evaluate the career she had chosen, working in a corporate sales role. She decided that she needed to do "something more meaningful," and enrolled in the MSSE program at RIT.
Read Carolyn's Story
Daniel Pye
Daniel, an Accounting Technology major who someday hopes to find a job in the banking industry, for now has his sights set on an RIT master's degree in Business Management.
Read Daniel's Story
Reyes Preciado
Reyes chose to major in Accounting Technology because it fit well with his strong background in mathematics. Being on the Dean's List every quarter since then has made his decision look like a good one.
Read Reyes's Story
Aneesha Lane
Aneesha is taking full advantage of the campus opportunities at RIT/NTID - she played Juliet in an NTID Performing Arts production, is dance captain of the Ebony Club, and plays intramural basketball.
Read Aneesha's Story
Matthew Jenkins
Matthew believes in balancing his hard work as a Biotechnology major with fun, which for this driven student means competitive swimming for RIT and the USA Deaflympics team.
Read Matthew's Story
Elena Iskandarova
Elena emigrated from Uzbekistan with her family in 2000 to New York City, where she attended a school for the deaf. She says she chose RIT because it offers "equal opportunities for deaf and hearing students alike."
Read Elena's Story
Melanie Updegraff
Melanie's family has long been involved in the deaf community. Once she realized that she wanted to get her degree in ASL interpreting, she says she knew "this was the place to do it."
Read Melanie's Story
Seth Terkhorn
Seth, who serves as a volunteer firefighter when he's not in class, hopes to use the skills he's learning as a Computer Aided Drafting Technology major to help him become a fire marshal someday.
Read Seth's Story
Sherry Shimizu
Sherry, a Packaging Science major who was born and raised in Hawaii, has fallen in love with the RIT/NTID campus despite the difference in climate.
Read Sherry's Story
Dacia Anastasia Hirsch
This Applied Optical Technology major is an accomplished horseback rider who in 1993 became the first deaf person to win a championship title on a Morgan horse.
Read Dacia's Story
Adam Drake
Adam's vision problems due to Usher's syndrome have given him an appreciation for the quality of the accessibility services available at RIT, which he says he "didn't find at other colleges."
Read Adam's Story
Jamie Garver
Jamie, an ASLIE student and member of the RIT women's swimming team, hopes to someday use her interpreting skills in courtrooms and other legal settings.
Read Jamie's Story
Pierre "Wess" Donald
Originally from the Bahamas, Pierre has been glad to be able to take advantage of the social opportunities available through the NTID Deaf International Student Association.
Read Wess's Story
Joshua Allmann
Josh is impressed with the variety of social opportunities available at RIT/NTID: "The fact that there are more than 1,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing students to interact with, in addition to thousands of hearing students, can’t be beat."
Read Joshua's Story
Sofia Siliezar
Sofia's two loves are people and numbers, and she hopes to use her education in Accounting Technology as a jumping-off point to a career that lets her work with both every day.
Read Sofia's Story
Don Petit-Homme
After working for several years, Don decided to continue his education in a field that would take advantage of his mathematics skills. Accounting Technology was a perfect fit.
Read Don's Story
Reut Gal
Originally from Israel, Reut discovered RIT/NTID when she attended NTID's Explore Your Future program. A Dean's List regular, she says simply, "Having low grades isn't my thing."
Read Reut's Story