Tyese Wright, 23, our current Miss Deaf America, is a source of inspiration to many deaf and hard of hearing youth. Ms. Wright’s list of accomplishments is never-ending as she continues to aim higher in every aspect of her personal life and new career. Soon after Tyese graduated from Gallaudet University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education in May of 2002, she was accepted into the distinguished School of Counseling at Trinity College in Washington, DC, and landed her first elementary teaching job at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. Her success didn’t stop there. At the National Association of the Deaf’s Miss Deaf America Pageant last summer, she represented Maryland and competed among 25 talented deaf women for the national crown, where she made it into the top six, and ultimately won the national title as Miss Deaf America 2002-2004. With less than a year left into her reign, Tyese plans to focus on deaf and hard of hearing youth and the importance of education as her platform. “Winning the Miss Deaf America title,” Tyese said, “has given me the opportunity to serve as a role model for youth.” She goes on to explain that her goal is to motivate young people to embrace their heritage, strive for excellence and acquire a good education. “I am trying to get young people to understand that if you stay in school, concentrate on your strengths, and accept who you are no matter what your limitations are, you can achieve whatever it is your heart desires.”

Tyese doesn’t plan to rest after she relinquishes her crown this summer. Along with her work as an elementary teacher and her studies at Trinity College, she hopes to implement a multi-year project to develop better community relationships between the school, home, and community for deaf and hard of hearing students. “I want to play a key role in establishing a place where deaf and hard of hearing children can learn with their parents at school,” Tyese said. “I want to motivate and recruit parents to become actively involved in their child’s education by volunteering at least once a week in school. Having parents involved would help promote literacy by reading to students, tutoring, or helping students with their homework or school activities.”

Another goal on her list is to recruit members of the community to serve as mentors and develop shadowing programs. Tyese explains how this program would benefit deaf and hard of hearing students: “By spending time with community leaders and professionals and participating in community service projects, they learn about different careers and the world of work. Students will develop more awareness of their choices after graduation, and possess a better understanding of work culture.”

Tyese says she owes much of her success to her family. A daughter of parents who are both educators, she was taught to pursue her dreams and hold steadfast to her goals. When asked to name her favorite role model, she thought for a moment, smiled, and said, “Can I name two? My parents!” Her father, William Wright, Jr., is a Math and Science teacher at Johnson Junior High School in Washington, DC. Her mother, Linda, is the director of HIV/AIDS education in the DC Public School system. She has an older brother, Deamond, 29, who is a nurse at the Children’s Hospital in Washington, DC and is studying at the University of DC to become a registered nurse. Although they are hearing, they all sign fluently. “When my parents learned that I became deaf from spinal meningitis at 6 months old, they were determined to be able to communicate with me without any barriers,” Tyese said. “Today, we are a very close family and we talk about everything together. There is not one thing I miss out on in any of our family discussions.” She adds, “They built the foundation that I now stand on, and I truly believe that, although I have worked hard personally to get where I am today, my family helped make that happen.”

Her mother, Linda, is also her hero. In June 2001, before Tyese entered her senior year in college, Linda was involved in a near-fatal car accident that badly fractured both of her legs. Unable to walk, Linda was unable to work for two years and endured extensive physical therapy. “My mother taught me the true meaning of determination and to never, ever give up, ” Tyese said. “She has a very strong will.”

Tyese on Tyese: Miss Deaf America 2002-2004 revealed!

My Birthday: December 5, 1979

My Birthplace: Washington, DC

My Hobbies: Traveling, reading, swimming, bicycling, web design,
writing stories and poetry.

My Favorite Books: PG County by Connie Briscoe and
Flying Girl by Omar Tyree. (This story is about an African American Girl who grew up in DC, very much like myself.)

My Favorite Colors: Navy blue, red, and white.

My Favorite Poet: Maya Angelou. (Her poems, Phenomenal Woman and
Still I Rise is the inspiration of my performances.)

My Favorite Movie: The Color Purple.
I also enjoy watching “Thomas the Train” in the classroom. It’s a great way for me to develop rapport and a connection with my students.

My Favorite Foods: Italian food and seafood

My Favorite Restaurant: American Café. I also love Litteri’s! (Both are located in
Washington, D.C.)

Three Words That Best Describe Myself: Energetic, motivated, and ambitious.

My Greatest Fear: One of my greatest fears is getting stuck in an elevator
alone.

My Favorite Childhood Memory: In 1990, at age 11, I was selected as one of five delegates to represent the United States at the Children’s International Summer Village (CISV) in Paris, France. Seventy-five delegates from 13 different countries spent one month together sharing different aspects of our culture, discussing ways to promote world peace, deaf education and cross cultural friendships and understanding. We used a lot of gestures and taught each other sign language from our homelands. I still remember a few words in French, Italian, German, Spanish and Norwegian. I cherish my experiences from that summer and am still in contact with many of the people from that camp today.

My Favorite Motto: You can never be successful alone.

My Most Memorable Tours: Being a special guest speaker at Youth Leadership Camp in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I also enjoy attending the State pageants because I can really identify with the contestants as I was in their shoes once.

Where I Want to Live: Maryland or Washington, DC. I was born in Washington, DC and moved to Clinton, Maryland when I was three years old. This is home to me and my roots are here. I also want to give back to the community that helped me become who I am today.

Things I will Never take for Granted: I will never take life and good health for granted. My mother was almost killed in a horrible car accident in June 2002, which crushed both her knees and broke her wrist and she is still recovering today. This experience brought my family closer together, and it taught me to be thankful for good health, living each day as if it were the first day of the rest of my life.

Where I see myself in 10 Years: Finishing my Masters degree, and continuing my teaching career. I would like to remain an active member of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA). It is also my dream to establish a charter school in Washington, DC for deaf children where they can develop their literary skills. I also see myself being married with a family.

My Philosophy of Life: Enjoy every moment. “You never know what tomorrow will bring.”

Article by Trina Schooley