Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/819093
university. Second, my academic interests were diverse, so I determined that a liberal arts school would enable me to explore and master a range of subjects. Princeton stood apart from other schools because it offered the resources of a large research university with the experience of a small liberal arts college. Also, I found the Princeton Office of Disability Services (ODS) staff impressive before I even stepped on campus. They arranged all the details for interpreters and other accommodations for my overnight visit, assuring me that they would take care of everything. Other hearing universities I visited confessed that while they wanted to make sure that I had the access I needed, they had limited experience accommodating deaf students. Princeton is filled with motivated and visionary students and profes- sors. I believed the opportunity to spend four years with this group of people would be life changing, and it was. For instance, the only reason why I am currently the CEO of a successful ed-tech start-up is because replaced our daily after-school practices with a series of "how to prop- erly ask a girl to the prom" lessons, complete with role-playing skits. They also acquired my prospective date's class schedule so I would know where and when to bump into her. They even camped out behind a corner to secretly observe my "prom-posal." After my date said "yes" and walked away, my teammates jumped out from a hiding spot screaming how proud they were of their "freshman." I learned so much from them and other Deaf friends during high school — everything that a typical high school student should know and experience — that wouldn't have been possible without Deaf peers. WWM: Why did you decide to attend Princeton University? CL: I selected Princeton over universities for the Deaf and other hear- ing universities for multiple reasons. First, when I graduated from high school, my roots in the Deaf community were sufficiently deep that I felt that I would be able to maintain them if I went to a hearing an interview with colin lualdi 70 W e l l e s l e y W e s t o n M a g a z i n e | s u m m e r 2 0 1 7