Joshua Gorlin Receives Ear Community College Scholarship

Joshua Gorlin receives Ear Community college scholarship, Fall 2025.

Congratulations to Joshua Gorlin for being one of our Ear Community college scholarship recipients this year!

Joshua was born with unilateral microtia and atresia of his right ear and lives in New York. Ever since Joshua was a child, he has loved music! He had dreamed of being a music teacher for years! In elementary school, Joshua began noticing that he hears differently and would sit in the front of the class to ensure he could hear the teacher. He says looking back, he remembers that the other kids would laugh at him or make jokes, but there was always one place he felt like the other kids and that was in the music room!

When Joshua was a child, he attended one of our Ear Community picnics with his family so he wouldn’t feel so alone, which helped instill a newfound confidence in him that he wasn’t the only one missing an ear & there were others just like him! With his love of music and knowing he wasn’t alone now, he found a home with the band at school over the years, fitting in better. Over the years, Joshua became even more confident being cast in roles in drama and theater performances, discovering these and music as outlets to express himself. He began realizing that he enjoyed standing out not because of his he had a disability and was different, but because he was recognized for his strengths! Music has become an important part of Joshua’s life and he enjoys having the opportunity to bring joy to others whether it is performing through jazz combos at venues in restaurants or singing in the local church choir or just singing Beatles songs on his guitar or the piano with his grandmother. All of this has pointed Joshua in the direction of working toward a career in music!

Joshua is very involved with his community and at school including being the Vice President of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, Treasurer for the Monroe Woodbury Drama Club and playing string bass in the Chamber Orchestra. He was also selected for the State NYSSMA All-State Mixed Chorus in 2023 and 2024 and for NYSSMA All-State Vocal Jazz in 2025. So, for Joshua, his dream of becoming a music teacher is the perfect pairing of using the joy of music to encourage students to overcome their obstacles and differences and find what makes them unique! Joshua will be attending Fredonia State University in NY earning a degree in Music Education & Theater! He looks forward to becoming a music teacher!

We just know that Joshua will make an incredible music teacher and we bet he will definitely be a favorite teacher for so many of his students over the years! Congratulations, Joshua! Our Ear Community Organization and our community are proud of you! We know you will go on to do many great things!

Thank you and good luck from our Ear Community Board of Directors!
Melissa Tumblin
Founder – Executive Director
Ear Community