Nicole Lamont

Montgomery, Alabama
Senior
Biology major

There is something for everyone at Gallaudet. For Nicole Lamont, a senior from Montgomery, Ala., it's dancing. Lamont, a biology major, has been involved with the internationally renowned Gallaudet Dance Company since her freshman year, performing in shows in Ohio, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

Lamont also teaches children dance at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School through the National Deaf Dance Academy. "Dance has opened doors for me through traveling, and it also helps me keep in great shape," she said.

After graduating from Gallaudet, Lamont plans to enter medical school. When she becomes a doctor, she wants to either go into medicine or forensic science.

Lamont got a cochlear implant when she was 13, was mainstreamed in high school, and didn't know any sign language when she entered Gallaudet. She enrolled in the New Signers Program before starting her classes here, and said that learning ASL "was a wonderful experience." She noted that she "had never heard of Gallaudet until I received a package from [the University] my senior year in high school."

At Gallaudet, Lamont has had experiences unlike any she would get elsewhere. "Some of my favorite memories at Gallaudet are winning the Miss Black Deaf Student Union and Miss D.C. Area National Black Deaf Advocate contests," she said. "I've met so many people and made so many new friends. I'm ready to go out into the hearing world and show people what I am capable of."