Gladys Garcia
1997 MAX Fellow
Woodrow Wilson School (now closed), Boston, MA
In 1997, Gladys shared the story of her mother’s hearing loss when Gladys was 8 years old. In her award-winning essay, she discussed the bullying she faced due to her mom’s disability and the anger that she felt. She also shared her journey to learn sign language so that she could communicate with her mom. Gladys writes:
"Writing the MAXCourage essay gave me the voice that I needed to advocate for myself and stand up against bullying."
A mom of two, Gladys continues to exemplify courage. She is currently preparing to attend Framingham State University to become an ASL interpreter.