Stephen Montoya
Stacy Estrada is a typical 18-year-old college student, who loves binge-watching Netflix, baking, and hanging out with friends and family. However, what sets this bubbly teenager apart from many of her peers is that she was born deaf. This means she has to navigate the world in almost complete silence. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, when it comes to the obstacles Stacy Estrada has faced and is still in the process of overcoming. For one, Stacy and her sisters, three in all, are first-generation U.S. citizens, who have been raised in a home where Spanish is the language of choice. If this wasn’t hard enough, Stacy Estrada, who was once in a language limbo, had to learn American Sign Language (ASL) all while transitioning from her native language of Spanish.
But Stacy Estrada didn’t cave when this linguistic challenge was thrust upon her. Instead, she took everything in stride, and now, as an adult, she says she is ready to pay this experience forward.
So, when she was recently awarded a $25,000 Live Mas Scholarship from the Taco Bell Foundation, she and her family were ecstatic. Estrada was one of 42 students nationwide to receive this amount, which she will plan on putting to good use as she prepares to earn a degree in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing studies.
Estrada’s older sister Heidi says language barriers were a huge hurdle for her parents, who were trying to learn and speak English when they moved here from Mexico. “My parents had to adapt to learning English, but also how to learn English for ASL,” Heidi Estrada says. This scenario posed an added obstacle since the girl’s parents had to work all day, take English classes at night, and try and find time to also fit in ASL so they could teach and communicate with Stacy.
“It was really up to Stacy to learn all three languages, which in turn became a blend of English, Spanish, and ASL,” she says. “Sometimes in the course of a conversation, you’ll witness all three languages used in different ways.”
Stephen Montoya
But there was an added obstacle that Stacy would have to overcome when she entered elementary school. Soon after getting set up in a classroom at a young age, Stacy would have to adapt to a language style being taught called SEE (Signed Exact English), which is a different style of sign language from ASL. “The language barriers she has faced is still the biggest struggle in her day-to-day life,” Heidi Estrada says.
Hand-out Taco Bell Corp.
After powering through some tuff transitions with the help of a community of teachers and other deaf students, Stacy Estrada was able to graduate high school and move on to a college setting.
But this newest transition, however significant for Stacy and her family, could yet pose to be the biggest learning experience of her adult life.
“Now that I am in college, I found that you have to support yourself when communication breakdowns happen,” Stacy Estrada says with the aid of an interpreter.
It is for this very reason Stacy is taking on the challenge of getting her education in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing studies. “I don’t want other deaf students to feel like they are alone when they have to make this kind of transition,” Stacy Estrada says.
Currently, Stacy is taking her perquisites at a local community college where she would eventually like to transfer her credits to Stephen F. Austin University when she is done.
“It has been anything but easy picking up the three languages,” she says. “I have had to take my time and really focus, plus I am still learning really… I am still picking things up every day.”
For now, Stacy is taking it slow so she can become acquainted with and understand her new surroundings and role as a college student. “You just have to find your support, if you need it, ask for it,” she says. “I am so lucky because I have my family who really understand what I am going through, and they are patient with me and do whatever they can to support me.”
