Cal State Northridge alumna Lauren Teruel--who blossomed from a shy deaf child into an ambitious young adult who skydives, dances, acts and aspires to be a writer--has been chosen to represent the nation’s estimated 28 million deaf and hard-of-hearing residents as Miss Deaf America for 2000-2002.

The 22-year-old Northridge resident, who graduated from CSUN in May 2000 as an English major with an emphasis in creative writing, is the second consecutive CSUN student/graduate to be chosen as Miss Deaf America. Teruel succeeds fellow CSUN alumna Amy Wong, who served as Miss Deaf America from 1998 to 2000.

“I see the next two years as a fabulously new, blank slate,” said Teruel, who also works as a staff member in CSUN’s renowned National Center on Deafness (NCOD). “I expect this to be another turning point in my life. I’m a role model now. By being a role model, I hope I’ll influence deaf children who may think they are very different from everyone else.”
 

January 10, 2000
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