Down the Tubes Productions

As I wrap up this recounting, I want to emphasize that even with the increasing difficulty with socializing as a result of my hearing loss, I truly loved every minute I was able to spend on campus with friends, classmates, and new people I met along the way. (Special shoutout to the guys from the Class of 1981 that made a mundane elevator ride that much more entertaining!) 

I reunited with people I haven’t seen since graduation and flopped on the couch with those I see frequently. I heard old stories and created new ones. 

I recognize my privilege, fortune, and blessing to have been able to attend Boston College and attain a higher education degree. This is something I have never taken for granted. I want people to understand that my love for Boston College is not rooted in snobbery or superficiality – but in pride.  I earned my place among the Eagles in spite of a life-altering disability. There is a picture of me taken on the first day of Kindergarten with one hearing aid nestled in my ear and a broad smile on my face as I was ready to set off to “real school”. That little girl had no idea what lay ahead on her journey to Boston College. There were wonderful moments, but the Elementary years are marred by difficult teachers, lack of accommodations, absence of assistive technology, and cruel bullying at the hands of other students. I thrived in middle school and high school but it was not easy or seamless. The day I got into Boston College as an early admission student – December 7, 1991 – was the ultimate reward at the end of an extremely difficult journey. I achieved greatness with significant hearing loss. I surpassed my peers in spite of that disability. I continue to advocate for myself and others through my work with Down the Tubes Productions, a company that I proudly co-founded with Brad McKenna. I could have crumbled at any point, but as Frank Sinatra so eloquently puts it, “I faced it all, and I stood tall, and did it my way!” 

While Frank eloquently captures my journey thus far with a physical disability, the iconic Dorothy Gale captures how I feel about BC, the love of my life, always – “There’s no place like home.”