Speaking through the Silence by Rebekah

Speaking through the Silence by Rebekah - January 2026 Scholarship Essay

Growing up, my life was full of voices. My family could always be found singing. I sang lullabies, hymns, and old pop songs with friends and with my family as my dad played the guitar. It was also full of speaking. My dad inspired my brother and me before bed by taking us deep into the realm of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings with his voice. I heard different languages spoken in different countries around the world. We wrote a lot too. I wrote newspaper issues for my parents, created comics, and wrote creative stories.

When I was very young I lost half of my hearing. Now I had to live with something that made me different: I couldn’t hear in one ear. Over time, my voice grew quieter, more muffled, and I became more unsure of what I had to say. I began to wonder what was the point? What was the point behind the speaking and singing I had always done? I couldn’t hear it as well as everyone else, so why should I continue? And if I didn’t speak, why should I write too? Was there any purpose for it?

In high school, my freshman year was online so I was isolated from other people and rarely spoke. I realized that I needed to speak more to prevent myself from losing my voice, so I joined the Speech and Debate team in my sophomore year. I started in Debate as it was focused less on speaking than Speech. Eventually though, I knew that Speech was the true place for me, and I left Debate once and for all during my junior year. I also joined the school newspaper staff my sophomore year and quickly fell in love. We had the freedom to be creative and express our ideas while impacting others, which I found to be what I wanted to do for my life.

Through these processes, I realized that hearing less forced me to pay more attention to the voices of others around me as well as my voice, and I understood the importance of my voice in the world. Our voice is our unique way of portraying ourselves and what we believe in. Speaking is our way of connecting with others and sharing our stories.

Thus, I spoke and wrote more. I cannot regain any hearing that I lost, but I can make up for it with what I have to say. I speak and write about what is close to me and what I stand for. I speak about my family and their dedication and support in my life. I write about my struggles with speaking and finding my voice and how I’ve overcome them through the school newspaper and Speech and Debate. I sing about my family and the things I love. I use my voice to show who I am and who I am still becoming. I push myself to do more because I still can speak and hear, and I am proud of what I have to say. I am a writer and a speaker for myself, for my school, and for my community, and am ready for the day when I can be a voice for the world and to the world, changing it one word at a time.