Welcome to my Journal!

Hello all! Welcome to my new online journal. For those who remember, I kept a blog (short for web log) during summer 2007 throughout my journey in Europe (click here to see it). I really enjoyed letting everyone know what I was doing without having to spend oodles of money to call each family member and friend or stress my parents out by having them update everyone. Knowing the ease and flexibility of using a website as a journal it just makes sense for me to start a new one as I begin a new chapter in my life.

As many of you may know, I just graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on May 11, 2008. I had a whirlwind 4 years of undergraduate schooling and playing with a nice NCAA Men's Basketball Championship thrown in there (GO HEELS!). I still don't quite believe that I'm not returning there in a few weeks to start another round of linguistics and communication studies classes. Maybe when I drive up to a different school it will all hit me. So you may be wondering (or perhaps you already know) what's next for this bright-eyed, educated college graduate. I've typically heard the question phrased, "So where are you going to work now?" Well...I did work this summer at one of the best jobs I've ever had (Audiology of the Sandhills...thank you Kate!!), but that is not where I'll be this fall. I'm taking the other road (possibly the road less traveled?) to graduate school. I just can't seem to face the real world yet. I trekked through a lengthy application process with several schools in North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington DC but I decided upon the one that not many people have heard of: Gallaudet University. I quote the school's website: "Gallaudet University is the world leader in liberal education and career development for deaf and hard-of-hearing undergraduate students." That seems interesting, huh? They have a phenomenal graduate program, undergraduate program, secondary school, and elementary school, all designed around the deaf and hard-of-hearing. You're thinking, "But Melissa, you're a hearing person." Well, luckily, I realized this early on and found out that they take some hearing students too.

The next question always follows, "So, you know sign language?" Well, no. More accurately, I'm not fluent by any means. I took a beginners American Sign Language course at Durham Technical Community College this past Spring (for no college credit) and learned the basics (just enough to make me not look like an idiot). I should be taking an American Sign Language (ASL) class this fall while taking my masters classes. I hope to be fluent (or just pretty daggone great) by the time I graduate.

So what am I going to graduate school for? I will be earning my Masters of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. My undergraduate majors were Linguistics and Communication Studies. I'm excited and nervous to be taking on such a great adventure, but I'm super excited.

The question that everyone wants to ask, but only family members will ask (most especially, my father): "How are you going to pay for a private school, graduate education?" This is where I really feel blessed. I spent many days pondering how I could get to my dream graduate school but not end up several thousand dollars in debt. I applied for a few scholarships and grants when I found out I was accepted to Gallaudet not thinking much would come out of it. Well, BOY was I wrong! The Presbyterian Women of my church here in Southern Pines, Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church, have honored me with 2 fantastic scholarships and I also received a U.S. Federal Grant that will pay ALL OF MY TUITION!!!! This grant is called the Pediatric Aural Rehabilitation Emphasis and only a select few graduate students receive it each year. My graduate schooling and work afterwards will focus primarily on children with aural rehabilitation (hearing rehab). This still sounds too good to be true! I pray every night that this is not just a dream, but reality. I feel SO blessed and honored to be the recipient of such wonderful, generous offerings.

Now that I have pinned down a bit of background, I hope you're intrigued. The title of this blog is a quote from Helen Keller, a woman I have done many reports and presentations on in middle school (funny how that works out, huh?).

I have lots of information about Gallaudet on the right side. There are also several links to other important websites and news on the right side. Commenting is welcome and encouraged. You can leave comments by click on on the work "COMMENTS" just beneath each post. You do not have to log in, sign in, create an account or anything to leave me a message. You should leave your name though, so that I know who is writing me! Once you click the COMMENTS button, click OTHER and fill out your name. If this all seems to complicated, just email me ( melissa.perryman@gallaudet.edu ). I love having messages waiting in my inbox!

I will update as I see fit and can find time. I will try to include lots of pictures so you can imagine being on campus with me!