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Vibrant visions shine in deaf student's art | The News & Advance
Lorena Palma, who was born deaf, paints her world in bold shades of red, yellow and blue.
“These colors make me happy
” Palma writes on a piece of notebook paper, her primary means of communication when she does not have a sign language interpreter.
This afternoon, Palma, 24, works on a self-portrait for her senior art show at Liberty University.
She kneels on her living room floor in a pair of paint-splattered overalls. The painting she’s working on depicts Palma standing in front of a Salvador Dali-esque clock, clutching a paintbrush in one hand and a laptop in the other.
Palma paints with a laser-like focus.
She cannot hear the dog barking next door or the rumble of cars outside her apartment window.
Her’s is a visual world. Her life, shaped by faith and hardship, unfolds on the canvas.
"I like to show my personal testimony through my artwork," Palma signed to a sign language interpreter during an interview. "I like to relate to other people though struggles in the real world.”
***
Palma was born in Mexico City, and immigrated to El Paso, Texas with her family in 1995.
In October, she became a U.S. citizen at a naturalization ceremony in Waynesboro. This month, she graduates from Liberty University with degrees in studio art and graphic design.
For Palma, the U.S. offered an escape from the bullying that followed her through Mexico’s public school system, and the hope of a college education.
"If I was hearing, it may be different, and I may have stayed in Mexico, but for a deaf person living in Mexico, it was impossible,” Palma said.
Palma’s parents, who are also deaf, had a difficult time supporting the family in Mexico. They lived on factory work and other blue-collar jobs, earning whatever money they could.
Palma’s low point came after transferring to a school in Juarez. There, she had little support in the classroom, and the bullying intensified.
“I told my mom, ‘No more school. That’s it. I’m too afraid,’" Palma said.
After moving to Texas, Palma said her parents found steady pay in janitorial work.
For Palma and her brother, who is also deaf, the public school system in El Paso offered a more supportive environment.
"I felt safer there. It wasn’t a dangerous school… So I wasn’t afraid. I became more confident, more happy."
***
Palma discovered Liberty through her pastor in Texas, and was drawn to its Christian mission. Though she considered deaf schools like Galludet University, Liberty was the only school she applied to.
“I knew that after I got a job in the real world, I would have to be around hearing people all the time,” Palma said. “I really wanted to get used to operating in a hearing world. That’s one reason why I didn’t choose those deaf colleges.”
Liberty’s deaf student population typically ranges from five to 25 students, said Beverly Windsor, who arranges classroom interpreters and support services for deaf students.
Liberty hires a sign language interpreter to accompany Palma to every class and to events like convocation and campus church. Otherwise, she’s on her own.
"I remember when I first came here, I was the only deaf person in my class and I felt like everybody was looking at me," Palma said. “I hated it, having to sit in the front with my interpreter."
Palma said she battled depression and feelings of isolation during her freshman year.
Almost all of her classmates and teachers did not know sign language. Palma felt singled out for her disability, and left out from the social scene.
“The hearing kids don’t know deaf culture so they feel it’s very awkward to have contact with me, which was a little bit frustrating.”
***
The handful of professors and students who made the effort to reach out to Palma made the difference in her college experience.
One was Liberty graduate Kelly Levesque, who met Palma through an art class three years ago.
“She was sharing this drawing in class … about how alone she feels on this campus, how she can’t get past this barrier,” Levesque said. “It just hurt my heart so bad to realize I was that same person, not making the effort to befriend a deaf person.”
Levesque, now a bank teller in Forest, said the two solidified their friendship when they paired up to make a sculpture.
“We just have this way of connecting where we don’t need words that much,” Levesque said .
After that, they would meet up for early-morning runs, where Palma would teach Levesque the sign language alphabet. Now that Levesque has graduated, they get together for weekly “girl’s night” dinners.
“She always just has this joy inside of her,” Levesque said. “It just explodes over to other people.”
Palma met sophomore Sherri Stone through the small network of deaf students on campus. When they meet up, they sign rapidly to each other, exchanging laughs and smiles.
Stone shares Palma’s sense of isolation, and is working to establish a deaf club at Liberty.
“A club where hearing and deaf students can interact so there’s no barrier between us," Stone explains.
Professor Todd Smith said that Palma was a standout student with a sense of faith that resonated in her work.
“Because Lorena has the physical challenges she has, her art is her outlet," Smith said. "Her work is her major mode of expression. I think she puts 110 percent into that."
***
After exams, Palma will return to Texas see her parents. Now that she’s a U.S. citizen, it’s easier for her to visit the rest of her family in Mexico, which she plans to do over the holidays.
Like countless others who graduate in this stagnant economy, her job prospects are uncertain.
“Painting with oils is really low on the totem pole when you’re looking at jobs and careers. I had to figure out what I was going to do for a job so I went to plan B, which was graphic design," Palma said.
Returning to Mexico is not an option, said Palma, who said the U.S. is her home now.
“There’s anxiety knowing that I’m about to go out into the real world. I can’t just go there and expect everything to happen...” Palma said. “I know I have to be aggressive at finding work. That’s something I’m going to have to do."
Lorena Palma, who was born deaf, paints her world in bold shades of red, yellow and blue.
“These colors make me happy
” Palma writes on a piece of notebook paper, her primary means of communication when she does not have a sign language interpreter.This afternoon, Palma, 24, works on a self-portrait for her senior art show at Liberty University.
She kneels on her living room floor in a pair of paint-splattered overalls. The painting she’s working on depicts Palma standing in front of a Salvador Dali-esque clock, clutching a paintbrush in one hand and a laptop in the other.
Palma paints with a laser-like focus.
She cannot hear the dog barking next door or the rumble of cars outside her apartment window.
Her’s is a visual world. Her life, shaped by faith and hardship, unfolds on the canvas.
"I like to show my personal testimony through my artwork," Palma signed to a sign language interpreter during an interview. "I like to relate to other people though struggles in the real world.”
***
Palma was born in Mexico City, and immigrated to El Paso, Texas with her family in 1995.
In October, she became a U.S. citizen at a naturalization ceremony in Waynesboro. This month, she graduates from Liberty University with degrees in studio art and graphic design.
For Palma, the U.S. offered an escape from the bullying that followed her through Mexico’s public school system, and the hope of a college education.
"If I was hearing, it may be different, and I may have stayed in Mexico, but for a deaf person living in Mexico, it was impossible,” Palma said.
Palma’s parents, who are also deaf, had a difficult time supporting the family in Mexico. They lived on factory work and other blue-collar jobs, earning whatever money they could.
Palma’s low point came after transferring to a school in Juarez. There, she had little support in the classroom, and the bullying intensified.
“I told my mom, ‘No more school. That’s it. I’m too afraid,’" Palma said.
After moving to Texas, Palma said her parents found steady pay in janitorial work.
For Palma and her brother, who is also deaf, the public school system in El Paso offered a more supportive environment.
"I felt safer there. It wasn’t a dangerous school… So I wasn’t afraid. I became more confident, more happy."
***
Palma discovered Liberty through her pastor in Texas, and was drawn to its Christian mission. Though she considered deaf schools like Galludet University, Liberty was the only school she applied to.
“I knew that after I got a job in the real world, I would have to be around hearing people all the time,” Palma said. “I really wanted to get used to operating in a hearing world. That’s one reason why I didn’t choose those deaf colleges.”
Liberty’s deaf student population typically ranges from five to 25 students, said Beverly Windsor, who arranges classroom interpreters and support services for deaf students.
Liberty hires a sign language interpreter to accompany Palma to every class and to events like convocation and campus church. Otherwise, she’s on her own.
"I remember when I first came here, I was the only deaf person in my class and I felt like everybody was looking at me," Palma said. “I hated it, having to sit in the front with my interpreter."
Palma said she battled depression and feelings of isolation during her freshman year.
Almost all of her classmates and teachers did not know sign language. Palma felt singled out for her disability, and left out from the social scene.
“The hearing kids don’t know deaf culture so they feel it’s very awkward to have contact with me, which was a little bit frustrating.”
***
The handful of professors and students who made the effort to reach out to Palma made the difference in her college experience.
One was Liberty graduate Kelly Levesque, who met Palma through an art class three years ago.
“She was sharing this drawing in class … about how alone she feels on this campus, how she can’t get past this barrier,” Levesque said. “It just hurt my heart so bad to realize I was that same person, not making the effort to befriend a deaf person.”
Levesque, now a bank teller in Forest, said the two solidified their friendship when they paired up to make a sculpture.
“We just have this way of connecting where we don’t need words that much,” Levesque said .
After that, they would meet up for early-morning runs, where Palma would teach Levesque the sign language alphabet. Now that Levesque has graduated, they get together for weekly “girl’s night” dinners.
“She always just has this joy inside of her,” Levesque said. “It just explodes over to other people.”
Palma met sophomore Sherri Stone through the small network of deaf students on campus. When they meet up, they sign rapidly to each other, exchanging laughs and smiles.
Stone shares Palma’s sense of isolation, and is working to establish a deaf club at Liberty.
“A club where hearing and deaf students can interact so there’s no barrier between us," Stone explains.
Professor Todd Smith said that Palma was a standout student with a sense of faith that resonated in her work.
“Because Lorena has the physical challenges she has, her art is her outlet," Smith said. "Her work is her major mode of expression. I think she puts 110 percent into that."
***
After exams, Palma will return to Texas see her parents. Now that she’s a U.S. citizen, it’s easier for her to visit the rest of her family in Mexico, which she plans to do over the holidays.
Like countless others who graduate in this stagnant economy, her job prospects are uncertain.
“Painting with oils is really low on the totem pole when you’re looking at jobs and careers. I had to figure out what I was going to do for a job so I went to plan B, which was graphic design," Palma said.
Returning to Mexico is not an option, said Palma, who said the U.S. is her home now.
“There’s anxiety knowing that I’m about to go out into the real world. I can’t just go there and expect everything to happen...” Palma said. “I know I have to be aggressive at finding work. That’s something I’m going to have to do."