Kuauhtemoc Gonzalez, 14th Ear Community college scholarship recipient, from California – attending MIT
Ear Community would like to introduce you to Kuauhtemoc Gonzalez, a college Freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Kuauhtemoc was born with Microtia and Atresia of his right ear as well as severe color blindness. Growing up in California with his parents and two younger brothers, Kuauhtemoc was surrounded by friends and family who had concerns about him struggling with hearing and the appearance of a Microtic ear. He was regularly asked if he wanted to have cosmetic surgery to “correct” his appearance. While Kuauhtemoc knew that these questions came from a place of love, he didn’t like that there was so much focus on his ‘abnormality’ and its potential limitations.
Kuauhtemoc did not let any of that slow him down. He developed a growth mindset early on and focused on how he could improve versus the challenges he had. Growing up, he played soccer and baseball – he even earned a black belt in karate – no small feat! Kuauhtemoc also focused on his academics and managed to maintain high grades in advanced placement courses in school, graduating in the top ten of his class!
Kuauhtemoc’s dream was to attend MIT and study computer science. He has always had a fascination with being able to program a machine so that it would perform a task with high accuracy. He was also interested in the diversity of industries where computer science can be applied like artificial intelligence and virtual reality. He knows that these technologies can be improved to assist humanity and make the
world a better place. Kuauhtemoc wanted to be a part of that change to make the world a better place through the use of technology.
Growing up in a family with three boys, he knew that paying for college would be a struggle for his parents. So Kuauhtemoc searched online for resources to help alleviate some of the financial burden. He googled “microtia scholarships” and found Ear Community’s College Scholarships. He was so excited because he met the requirements, having never had reconstructive surgery. This was one of the few times that he felt particularly lucky to have Microtia and Atresia and chose not to have surgery. He didn’t want to give up on his dream of attending MIT, so he applied for a scholarship through Ear Community because he didn’t want to miss out on the incredible education he would gain just because of financial need.
Ear Community’s board of directors reviewed Kuauhtemoc’s application and were touched by his drive and determination to carve out a top-notch education for himself. Our board of course voted to help him with his educational endeavors with a scholarship of $750. When he was notified of the board’s decision, Kuauhtemoc thanked Ear Community for such a wonderful gift, and promised to pay it forward one day.
We are honored to be a part of Kuauhtemoc’s journey, and with the perseverance he has, we know he is going to be a bright star in the technology industry. Good luck with your education, Kuauhtemoc, we can’t wait to see what you do in the future!Everyone at the Ear Community Organization!
About Melissa Tumblin
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