Walk4Hearing Heroes Help HLAA Bring Hope – Courtney’s Crew

The HLAA Walk4Hearing is held in 21 cities across the country, raising awareness and bringing hope to people with hearing loss. Since 2006, more than 365 Walks have raised $20 million for national and local programs, welcomed 123,000 participants and shown countless people with hearing loss that they are not alone. Our 2024 Walk4Hearing season is off to a great start, with a successful spring and 13 more Walks this fall. Join us as a participant, volunteer or donor.

In this blog series, we’re spotlighting three heroic teams whose long-time participation have helped HLAA bring hope to millions. Here is the third and final; read the first two blogs about Team Adeline and Brody’s Monsters.

$9K in Nine Years: Courtney’s Crew

Courtney’s Crew has participated in the New York City (NYC) Walk4Hearing for more than nine years, raising more than $9,000. Courtney was born with atresia and microtia, two malformations of the ear that can cause hearing loss.

A Step in the Right Direction

Courtney has faced many challenges academically and socially, but she has never let her differences define her or hold her back. Courtney and her parents encountered numerous roadblocks getting accommodations, including institutional support for her FM system. The system, which is a hearing assistive technology that pairs a microphone with a receiver, was necessary to help Courtney process sound.

While in middle school, Courtney decided to abandon her FM device altogether and learn to navigate the challenges of hearing loss on her own. She was determined to surpass her school administrators’ expectations, despite the roadblocks she experienced. She also became interested in finding ways to help others with hearing loss and stumbled across the NYC Walk4Hearing. She’s never looked back, citing the new sense of community it gave her as a comfort and inspiration.

Marching to the Beat of Her Own Drum

Courtney’s classmates often didn’t understand how exhausting a unilateral hearing loss can be, and they were sometimes confused by her quiet demeanor. Bolstered by a newfound sense of confidence that began with her participation in Walk4Hearing, she decided to shake off any sense of stigma and talk openly about her hearing loss with her classmates. She made a commitment to being her authentic self, even going so far as to pull her hair back, rather than using it to hide her ears. Courtney not only acknowledged her hearing loss but also became comfortable enough to joke about it with friends. Her courage, authenticity and unwavering focus on academic achievement were richly rewarded when she was named class valedictorian at her eighth grade awards ceremony!

Forging Her Own Path

After graduating from high school third in her class of more than 600 students, Courtney received several academic scholarships and was accepted by the University of San Francisco, where she studies psychology, neuroscience and gerontology. She also serves as the Director of Operations of the Future Clinicians Association, works in the Aging and Diversity Research Lab and is launching an intergenerational knitting club.

Although miles from where she started, Courtney plans to continue participating in Walk4Hearing events to give back to the organization that helped her on her path of personal growth. Her friends and family members pledge to be with her every step of the way. Courtney promises, “I will continue to be the Fruit Loop in a world of Cheerios. I will be a leader, an educator and always advocate for people in need.”

The next NYC Walk4Hearing will take place on Sunday, September 15, 2024.

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