Deaf And Excelling
Pittsfield teen attends national conferenceBy LYDIA COTTRELL lcottrell@timesobserver.com
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For one Pittsfield teen, leaving home to attend school in Pittsburgh has brought several opportunities.
Megan Eighmey is a sophomore at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) in Pittsburgh. The 17-year-old is a resident student which requires her to leave her family and her pets every Sunday and return home on Friday afternoons.
Recently, Megan represented WPSD at the Junior National Association of the Deaf conference in Texas.
"We learned about leadership," she said of the experience.
Accompanying Megan on the journey were fellow WPSD student Boston Campbell and supervisor Linda Campbell. The girls, along with students from 30 other schools, attended workshops on leadership, team building and self-esteem. They also participated in the Empty Bowls Project, a community service project that benefits the American Red Cross.
"It was fun," she said.
Megan also participated in the 11th Annual Mr. and Miss WPSD Pageant on Nov. 12.
This was not her first time on the pageant stage. Participating in the pageant for the past three years, the 2009 edition marked the first time Megan took home a win.
According to her mother, Linda, Megan placed second in the first two pageants.
"The first time I was nervous, the second not so much, this time not at all," she said.
Her nervousness may reappear as the win at the recent pageant means Megan will represent WPSD in the 2010 national competition in Maryland. On the national stage, students compete for the honor in talent competition, formal wear and on-stage interview.
For the WPSD pageant, Megan's talent was the going over the "ABCs of volleyball." As for the national pageant, she is not sure what her talent will be.'
"I'm still thinking about it," she said.
Megan has been a student at the WPSD since she was five-years-old. Linda admitted that it was tough watching her get on the bus.
"It was a very a hard decision, but we had to do what was best for her," she said. "She's learning to hear in the hearing world and the deaf world."
Megan said, "I miss seeing my family everyday."
The pain of separation is eased by technology. The Eighmey family was provided with a video phone so Megan could call home.
After high school, Megan plans to attend college. While she has no firm decision on what career path she will take, Megan said she is interested photography and possibly massage therapy.
