Deaf teens aim for success

They might have been speaking with their hands, but the message was loud and clear: "We want to succeed."

Success and inspiration were among the many messages at the Deaf Action Center's 2010 Teen Leadership Summit for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Girls on Thursday at the Plano Centre.

This is the 13th year for the girls' summit; one for boys is set for the fall. The Dallas-based Deaf Action Center has multiple locations across North Texas. Angela Johnson Fischer, executive director of the center, said each year it holds the event in a different location as a way to reach as many students as possible. This year, almost 250 girls attended the summit.

"Today is about celebrating successful deaf women, so girls all over North Texas come here and are able to see someone who has succeeded," Fischer said. "A lot of times, these girls cannot participate in other group activities. This is the one event that is especially for them."

Lauren Canfield, Plano Senior High School teacher, said events like these are important in helping build bonds with the students. She teaches students who are deaf or hearing-impaired. She said the summit helps them see there is a larger deaf community out there than what they see in school.

"I think it is a great opportunity for the girls to come and see old friends and make new friends at the same time," she said. "It is a great day for them to come and be girls together.

Those girls are looking to their future - and it is looking brighter than ever, said Melissa Keomoungkhoun, a senior at Plano Senior. Each year the venue is different, but the community continues to grow and each new speaker inspires the students to not give up.

"The girls' summit has a lot of deaf girls from the Dallas area who can see how deaf women are successful in life, and it is like an example of what we can accomplish as deaf people," she said. "(The summit) is like the first step; you want to be able to follow in their footsteps."

This year, the footsteps they will follow are those of Maureen Klusza. The speaker for this year's summit is a deaf artist from California. Deaf since birth, she credits her father, also a deaf artist, for inspiring her to create art. She continued to draw through high school and eventually become a successful illustrator, drawing cartoons, logos and illustrations for various clients.

She said she just wanted to reinforce to the girls at the summit that even though life will be tough sometimes, if they stay positive they will persevere.

"I am here to talk about my life experiences as I grew up as a deaf person," Klusza said. "I want to share that with these young people: that life has its ups and downs, but they are going to be fine."

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