Ear Community proudly awards it’s 12th college scholarship

Gabrielle E. Ayala-Montgomery, Ear Community college scholarship recipient, September 2019, Washington.

Ear Community is pleased to introduce you to the beautiful Gabrielle E. Ayala-Montgomery, our second College Scholarship applicant for the year! Gabrielle reached out to us this Summer and shared a little with us about her desire to become a lawyer.

Gabrielle was born with Microtia and Aural Atresia of her left ear as well as craniofacial microsomia. As a result, she experienced a decade of orthodontia and lives with significant hearing loss on her left side. Medical professionals tried to tell her parents that she would struggle in school, and it would be difficult for her to succeed academically. Well Gabrielle is a fighter and proved them all wrong! She studied hard and more than excelled in school. She was consistently on the Dean’s List and graduated High School Phi Beta Kappa.  Gabrielle said, “I realized that my disability was only a societal limitation if I allowed it to be.”

Her experiences pushed her to pursue a degree to help others navigate the judicial system and grant them the fairness they deserve. Gabrielle also shared that she is of Mexican descent and has embraced her Mexican-American identity. Since starting college, Gabrielle has begun taking Spanish classes to be able to communicate with extended family members, and she has been involved with organizations that help mentor at-risk youth in her community. In her application letter, Gabrielle shared, “the rediscovery of my culture and language has helped me realize that a career in international, immigration, or civil rights law will help me fulfill a personal obligation, paving the path for a more just future for others – especially disadvantaged populations.”

Gabrielle has a true passion for helping others who live in the margins of society, because she has been there and walked those paths. Ear Community is honored to award her a $750.00 scholarship for furthering her education. Gabrielle will be finishing her law degree at the University of Washington Law School and will graduate in 2022. We cannot wait to see the difference she makes in the world, as she is a true force to be reckoned with!

Ear Community would like to extend a warm thanks to all of our supporters and donors who make scholarships like this possible. We could not continue this important work if it weren’t for the continued support we get. We would also like to thank Tortoise Advisers and Brent Newcomb for helping us be able to award Gabrielle’s scholarship. Brent is a brother to one of our board members, Scott Newcomb, and we are so grateful for their passion and support.

Gabrielle, we wish you the best of everything as you finish up your law degree and will watch anxiously at the life-changing work you will do in the lives of so many!