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RIT - NTID - NTID News - RIT/NTID Grad Crowned Miss Deaf USA
Michelle Koplitz, a 2008 graduate of RIT/NTID, was named Miss Deaf USA at a pageant held in Washington, D.C. in April. She'll compete in the Miss Deaf International Finale in Las Vegas in July.
Koplitz, a native of Eau Claire, Wisc., received a bachelor's degree in Biotechnology from RIT/NTID and is graduating May 26 from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a master's degree in Health Education and Health Communication. She hopes to promote healthy lifestyles within the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.
During the pageant interview, she emphasized health education and communication as her platform. She would like to see physicians use videos to help explain health-related issues to patients in American Sign Language.
"I am beyond thrilled to have won," she said. "I never thought I would hold a title like this in my life. It has been an enriching experience already and I am looking forward to the upcoming year."
This was the first pageant Koplitz had entered, but she practiced with friends immediately before the competition. She practices yoga and wants to become a certified yoga instructor, focusing on teaching deaf people yoga. She also volunteers with DeafMD.org, trying to establish partnerships with deaf organizations, hospitals and interpreting programs that focus on medical interpreting.
She's started her own blog and website and hopes to do some fund-raising to pay for her trip and clothing for the Miss Deaf International pageant in Las Vegas. She's also working on her presentation for upcoming speaking engagements.
"I'm excited to meet the young deaf girls out there and I hope that I am able to teach them something new, be it about their own personal health or that they are able to achieve big and great things in their lives as well," she said. "There is no limit."
Michelle Koplitz, a 2008 graduate of RIT/NTID, was named Miss Deaf USA at a pageant held in Washington, D.C. in April. She'll compete in the Miss Deaf International Finale in Las Vegas in July.
Koplitz, a native of Eau Claire, Wisc., received a bachelor's degree in Biotechnology from RIT/NTID and is graduating May 26 from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a master's degree in Health Education and Health Communication. She hopes to promote healthy lifestyles within the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.
During the pageant interview, she emphasized health education and communication as her platform. She would like to see physicians use videos to help explain health-related issues to patients in American Sign Language.
"I am beyond thrilled to have won," she said. "I never thought I would hold a title like this in my life. It has been an enriching experience already and I am looking forward to the upcoming year."
This was the first pageant Koplitz had entered, but she practiced with friends immediately before the competition. She practices yoga and wants to become a certified yoga instructor, focusing on teaching deaf people yoga. She also volunteers with DeafMD.org, trying to establish partnerships with deaf organizations, hospitals and interpreting programs that focus on medical interpreting.
She's started her own blog and website and hopes to do some fund-raising to pay for her trip and clothing for the Miss Deaf International pageant in Las Vegas. She's also working on her presentation for upcoming speaking engagements.
"I'm excited to meet the young deaf girls out there and I hope that I am able to teach them something new, be it about their own personal health or that they are able to achieve big and great things in their lives as well," she said. "There is no limit."