My name is Gurleen and I’m in Grade 12 at a Brampton high school in PDSB, also taking part in the Health and Wellness SHSM! I wear hearing aids on both of my ears, and was six years old when I found out I had partial hearing loss. That moment changed a lot for me and my family, but it also helped shape who I am today. This fall, I’ll be going to Brock University for their Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences program. After that, I’m hoping to get into grad school to get a master’s degree in Audiology. I’ve always been passionate about helping others, especially in ways that connect to my own experiences. I also really love working with children. I volunteered at ErinoakKids, where I helped 4-year-olds with hemiplegia learn to do everyday tasks, and I was also a kindergarten teaching assistant where I supported all kinds of students. In my free time, I love to read, it’s something that relaxes me and lets me escape into different worlds. The purpose of my blog is to help students with hearing loss feel more secure and confident in their own skin. I know what it feels like to stand out or feel out of place, especially in a school setting, and I want others to know they’re not alone and there’s so many other people just like them. My goal is to create a space where people feel supported, understood, and proud of who they are. 

My outlook on my hearing has definitely changed over the years. When I was younger, I was really insecure about it. I never wanted to wear my hearing aids, and in Grade 9 and 10, I only wore them a few times to school. I always made sure to keep my hair down to cover them because I didn’t want anyone to notice, and only 2 of my friends knew about it. But as life went on, I started to realize that not wearing my hearing aids or embracing them was only hurting me. I was tired of constantly saying "huh?" or "could you repeat that?" or "I can't hear you." It became exhausting, and I realized I was missing out on so much. In Grade 11, I began wearing my hair up more often and actually started educating my classmates about my hearing loss and my hearing aids. I also got as many ear piercings as I could to draw attention to my ears and make it clear that I wear hearing aids, I wanted to own it. By Grade 12, I realized that I can actually help others who are like me feel more confident in themselves. As a Sikh Punjabi, I’ve seen firsthand how under-educated our community can be about hearing loss and hearing technology, and I really want to help spread awareness and break the stigma. One of the biggest influences in helping me grow more confident has been my itinerant teacher, Angela. She’s been supporting me for four years, and from the moment she came into my life, I knew I wanted to pursue a career like hers. She’s been such a strong role model and one of my biggest inspirations for wanting to become an audiologist.  Another thing that changed my outlook the most was realizing how much I was missing out on--conversations, discussions, lessons, even movie dialogues-- when I wasn’t wearing my hearing aids. Understanding that made me want to fully accept my hearing loss and make the most out of every moment.