Heather Whitestone

The 1995 Miss America, Heather Whitestone lost her hearing, at 18 months of age. Doctors told her mother that a normal life for Heather was impossible. As a child, she learned to read lips and use a hearing aid. She spent six months re-learning to pronounce her own name. Assisted by special education teachers, she excelled in school, but had few friends. She became involved in pageants to earn scholarship money for college, but fared poorly at first, because she was unable to understand questions or directions. She eventually mastered the situation. Her positive attitude and inner drive eventually culminated in her victory in Atlantic City, when she became the first disabled person to win the storied contest. This role model in courage personifies triumph over adversity. Heather Whitestone addressed the Academy of Achievement at its 1995 gathering in Williamsburg, Virginia. In this audio podcast, recorded on that occasion, she tells the Academy's student delegates her story, from her struggles to communicate to her eventual victory. Since her reign as Miss America, Heather Whitestone has appeared around the country as a motivational speaker and written three books, Listening with My Heart, Believing in the Promise, and Let God Surprise You. A 2002 cochlear implant has restored a portion of her hearing.