West Virginia University Potomac State College’s latest Catamounts Climb Higher award recipient, Alexx Grady from Oakland, Maryland, is thrilled to have found her “family of friends” on the PSC campus in Keyser.
Grady was diagnosed with severe-to-profound hearing loss at the age of 2.
“My parents were given the choice to send me to a deaf and blind school or fit me with hearing aids to be a part of the hearing world. They chose the latter. I was raised in the belief that my hearing loss was an everyday obstacle, but never an excuse,” Grady said.
By her sophomore year of high school, Grady’s hearing dropped to a level that she qualified for a cochlear implant.
“I was highly against it at first because it seemed risky and I was worried it would not work. But then I thought about the possibilities if it did work, and with college coming up and being in sports, I decided to take the risk and received the implant the summer before my junior year of high school,” Grady added.
Because the brain needed time to build new neural pathways, difficulties did arise and were often followed by extreme frustration, but by not giving up and continuing to push herself, things slowly began to click for her. She could hear words, then sentences and when tested with both the cochlear and hearing aid together, Grady got 100 percent word comprehension, a task she had never achieved in her life.
“The cochlear implant was without a doubt the best decision I ever made and changed a lot of things for me. I thrive academically and socially because of it. My hearing is still an everyday challenge and there are things that I miss but I work around those obstacles. My disability is a part of me, but it doesn’t define me,” Grady said.
Grady serves as president of the Sigma Phi Omega Honor Society, is a member of the Life Science Club and the Honors College and plays midfielder on the Lady Catamounts soccer team.
Grady believes that Potomac State offered her the best fit and perfect transition. She chose PSC so she could play soccer at the collegiate level and attend classes in person.
“Being on the soccer team gave me a great group of not just teammates but friends. Being on a smaller campus worked really well for me too because it allowed for more one-on-one time with my professors who have all gone above and beyond in my education versus treating me as a number,” Grady said.
Climb Higher recipients are recognized for their ability to bounce back despite encountering obstacles, for overcoming challenges and for staying the course. Recipients are also recognized for their outstanding work ethic, kindness and a positive attitude. And while this award is not based on GPA, the recipient must be in good academic standing.
A biology major who’ll graduate this May, Grady offered this advice to incoming students, “Don’t stress too much about being in college. You can be a college student and do well while still enjoying your life and doing other activities. It’s all about finding a good balance. And don’t be afraid to ask your professors for help, they want to see you succeed.”