Home › Success Stories ›

Maya Ariel

“For people who want the best of both worlds—hearing and deaf—RIT/NTID is the place to be,” says Maya Ariel, 22.

Ariel attended a mainstream high school and was the only deaf person in her family. She transferred to RIT three years ago because she wanted more exposure to the deaf community.

“RIT seemed like it would be a better fit for me because it has a large deaf population, and I wanted to learn with both deaf and hearing peers,” says the Livingston, N.J., native. “I also like that it offers great co-op opportunities.”

Although Ariel was undecided on a major when she arrived, she chose a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration-Management because it provides many options for the future.

Ariel has taken advantage of many opportunities at RIT. She currently is a resident advisor, a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, an ambassador for the NTID Admissions Office and an active member of the NTID theater group. She has been involved in eight plays, including solo performances in The Vagina Monologues, an annual performance that’s part of a national campaign to end violence against women.

“Theater is my passion,” she says. “I love bringing a character to life, and I enjoy the close interaction I have with the other actors.”

Helping others also is important to Ariel, and she made time to do a service learning project in Sea Island, S.C., during spring break last year for Habitat for Humanity.

Last summer, she achieved one of her goals to study abroad by completing a six-week immersion program in Genova, Italy. She loved the language so much that she’s completed the requirements for a minor in Italian.

Ariel plans to graduate next year, and this summer will complete her first co-op in Washington, D.C., sponsored through the American Association for People with Disabilities

“I’m looking forward to this co-op, and the new experiences it will bring,” she says.

As for the future, Ariel is optimistic.

 “I’m not sure where I will be or exactly what I will be doing, but I know I will be ready to make my mark in the business world because of the opportunities I have had here,” she says.

Editor’s note: In February, Ariel was featured in ABC’s, “What Would You Do?” program. See www.ntid.rit.edu/news/what-would-you-do for information about her appearance.

More Success Stories

John "JT" Reid
Former RIT wrestling champion John “JT” Reid, now in his 10th year as an admission counselor, knows how to pin down prospective students.
Regina Kiperman-Kiselgof
Kiperman-Kiselgof, a senior employment advisor in NTID’s Center on Employment, was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) Russia, and emigrated with her extended family to Buffalo, N.Y., in 1994.
Christine Sun Kim
Sun Kim is currently a freelance educator at the Whitney Museum in New York and a digital archivist at a publishing company.
Mark Feder
“I learned how to be approachable and to be fearless, and I learned how to keep my deaf identity in a hearing world.”
Helen Yu
A second-year student in NTID’s Associate+Bachelor’s Degree Program in Business, Yu plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Business Management in RIT’s E. Philip Saunders College of Business.
Kaela Mangiaracina
This 20-year-old from Livingston, N.J., will graduate this spring with an associate degree from NTID’s Art & Imaging Studies program, but that won’t be the end of her academic pursuits.
Alvin Boyd
Boyd encourages his students to embrace learning—whether it’s basic business principles or everyday issues.
Stacy Bick
Stacy Bick writes, directs and produces videos for a living, but her career “Aha!” moment was completely unscripted.
Alesia (Howard) Allen
Allen, who now lives in Hatboro, Pa., graduated from RIT’s College of Liberal Arts in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology—Human Growth and Development.
Michael Anthony
Ask 10 different people what their dream job is and you’ll get 10 different answers. For Michael Anthony, it’s summed up in one word: Microsoft.
Renishia Williams
Growing up in a hearing family, Williams attended mainstream schools transferring around the country until she decided on RIT/NTID after graduation.
Samuel Sandoval
This tech-savvy, second-year student recently completed an NTID associate degree program in Applied Computing Technology, and this fall will begin a bachelor’s degree program in Information Technology.
Brandon Adamany
This Mechanical Engineering Technology major plans to pursue a career designing high-end automobiles.
Christopher Samp
Christopher Samp started on one path in his quest to make a difference, but found a new major at RIT and an exciting new career in Washington, D.C.
Christopher Jappah
Growing up deaf among his hearing family and friends in Liberia, Jappah chose RIT/NTID because he wanted to meet other deaf people.
Sean Forbes
Forbes, a 2008 RIT/NTID grad, never let being deaf get in the way of his love for music.
Yesenia Ballasteros
This Advertising Photography major always knew that she wanted to pursue a major in photography.
Hannah Worek
This Rochester, N.Y., native is the 13th member of her family to enroll at RIT.