Deaf student’s dream becomes reality as he joins high school’s marching band drumline
By Mike-Ross
Your high school experience is always a special time for you. Everyone looks back at their time in high school and reminisces over the memories they made.
And while this high school student might be deaf, he will be able to say not only did he make memories, but he also made history.
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17-year-old Michael Gouin is like any other student in high school except the one thing that makes him a little different; he is deaf. While he does have cochlear implants, it still presents major challenges to him but the teenager never backs down.
Woodson High School student joined the school’s marching band as a drummer.
“They told me that they have never seen people who are deaf in a marching band,” Michael said. And if you saw the drum line perform, you would never know that one of the drummers is a deaf student!
“I am deaf so I can’t hear, but I can feel it vibrating. So that’s why the bass is very loud, you can feel it vibrating, right?” 17-year-old Gouin explained.
His cochlear implants help but even they can make problems for him at times, he said, “Every time when the battery dies, everything is all quiet. I can’t hear anything. So it’s really difficult to hear, but at least I can see the drum major.”
He used to need help from an American Sign Language interpreter on game days but now he does all of it on his own!
“Being deaf doesn’t mean you can’t do anything. You can do anything – just try and see what’s going to happen. Just like I joined the marching band. I never give up. We’re just like a normal person,” the teen said.
Once he graduates from high school, he plans to attend Galludet University. While at the university, the ambitious teenager hopes to try out for the Baltimore Ravens marching band!
See the video here for more.
Everyone show this young man support by sharing this story so others can also appreciate his tenacity and spirit!
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