Ocean City High School Hearing Student Accepted to Prestigious Deaf University

Ocean City, NJ – Ocean City High School senior Ashlyn Petro has a strong grasp of American Sign Language.

Her understanding is so strong, in fact, that she has been accepted into the prestigious Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts university in the world for the deaf, the school district announced this week.

Petro is a hearing student. The University has only a five percent acceptance rate of hearing students. Petro will study linguistics.

She is the third student taught by Ocean City High School American Sign Language (ASL) teacher Amy Andersen to be accepted to the University.

“We are so excited and I am so proud of Ashlyn,” Andersen said. “This is an amazing accomplishment, as they only accept hearing students who they feel have a strong enough fluency in ASL. All classes at GU are taught in ASL, and Ashlyn will not have any interpreters, so she has to be proficient enough in ASL for it to be her language of instruction. Ashlyn began learning ASL less than two years ago and she is exceptional.”

“I feel so honored to be able to spend four years in one of the biggest Deaf communities using ASL,” Petro said. “I can't wait to immerse myself in such an ASL and Deaf culture hub like Gallaudet. Everyone I have met so far has been extremely kind and I just know that living on campus will open me up to meeting a whole new world of people. I can’t wait!”

According to Andersen, Petro hopes to do research on the connection between language acquisition for deaf children and its impact on their English reading and writing skills.

Since the ASL program began at Ocean City High School 12 years ago, Petro is one of only two students from the school ever to be accepted into an undergraduate program at the University. Another student was accepted into a graduate program.

Petro’s own talents will be on display in this year’s ASL Show, an original musical that she wrote, titled “ASL: A Voice Awakens,” which will be performed at OCHS on June 2 and June 3, 7 p.m.

Petro visited the University’s campus on March 21, when she spent the day with 30 Ocean City High School ASL classmates and Andersen on a field trip.

Deaf chaperones University alumni escorted the group on a tour; they then ate lunch and then had free time on campus. This was the second time ASL students from Ocean City High School visited the University.

Petro did a one-hour interview called the American Sign Language Proficiency Interview with a Deaf admissions officer on campus – the final part of her application.

“It’s a total immersion,” Andersen said. “Entering the campus is like entering a foreign country because everyone signs, including those working in the cafeteria and bookstore! As students walked the grounds, they learned about the history of Deaf Culture and experienced the unique culture of the Deaf all around them. I cannot give them this awareness in a classroom. They must see it and breathe it for themselves.”

“Gallaudet is a different world,” said Sara Pustizzi, OCHS Class of 2009, who attended the University for her Masters in Speech and Pathology, and is a speech therapist in Cape May. “You go on campus and everyone signs. It’s Deaf culture, so I’m hearing, but I’m entering a minority on campus. Nobody talks while you’re in public and no one uses the phone. It was hard at first, but I managed to communicate effectively and, over time, you pick it up and feel more comfortable.”

Megan Cinquegrani, OCHS Class of 2006, attended the University for her undergraduate degree and went on to be an interpreter in Washington, D.C. for the Pentagon and the White House. She signed for First Lady Michelle Obama.

“The reason my program is perhaps different than others is because of the close collaboration with our local Deaf community,” Andersen said.

Petro applied to Gallaudet with the help of the Deaf in Ocean City, studied for her interview with them, and was walked to her interview by Eli Pogue. Pogue is a Deaf Ocean City resident who also wrote a letter of recommendation for Petro, along with his wife, Carrie Pogue. They are both University alumni.

The attached images were provided:

Photo 1 – The American Sign Language students of Ocean City High School, and staff, visit Chapel Hall at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

Photo 2 – American Sign Language teacher Amy Andersen, third from left, brought her students to the GU campus for the second time.

Photo 3 – Ashlyn Petro, right, celebrates her acceptance into Gallaudet University with ASL teacher Amy Andersen.