Joshua Feldman
Frederick, Maryland
Sophomore
English major
I was involved with the Academic Bowl for four years. Before the Academic Bowl, I had dismissed Gallaudet, and planned to go to another college. I participated in the competition throughout my high school years, and went to the national competition here on campus. I socialized with the other players, and realized that they could all attend Gallaudet. I liked a lot of these people, and knew we could end up together at the same college.
Also, the Gallaudet campus is really beautiful. I got to meet a lot of Gallaudet students and realized that they were of the same intellectual caliber as me. That was important. So, in my senior year I decided to apply and was accepted to Gallaudet. I came, and have been here ever since.
I'm an English major, because growing up I adored reading and writing. I love language, and that's a part of me that shapes who I am today. In my freshman year, I knew I wanted to write for the Buff and Blue, Gallaudet's campus newspaper. I applied and got a job as a staff writer. I would write articles every two weeks - news stories, about things happening on campus, and events off campus as well. I enjoyed writing all year.
This year I applied for and got the position of Associate Editor. I'm responsible for all of the writers. I come up with story ideas and delegate them to the writers. Then, I collect them and use my editing skills to revise the stories and make them perfect for publication. One day, I hope to run the Buff and Blue, and become the next Editor in Chief.
Last February, I did an internship in Salt Lake City, Utah. The staff at Gallaudet helped me find that internship during the Deaflympics, the winter Deaflympics. I worked with Deaf Nation as a sports reporter. I met and talked with international people. I had to modify the way I communicate from ASL to Gestuno. Using Gestuno, I was able to meet many new people. I wrote about sporting events, and it was a wonderful experience overall.
Last summer, I wrote my first novel, Then and Now. It is about a young man who finished his first year of college and goes back home. He realizes that things change. Life went on without him and had to adjust to that. I'm in the process of editing it now. This summer, I will send it out to publishers, and am hopeful they will publish my book. I'm working on getting my name out there.
One of my favorite teachers at Gallaudet is Dr. Pia Taavila. She is an English professor here. I took a course under her last semester. I found out that she is an accomplished writer and poet. She has published several books. I was impressed. I asked if she would help edit the book I wrote last summer. She was very warm and she said, "Sure, give it to me, I'll look at it and then help you edit it." I gave her my manuscript. Now, we are meeting regularly, and she continues to provide feedback. With the feedback she has given me, I'm one step closer to publishing my book.
